“My constituents have not been consulted” says MP
Erith & Thamesmead MP, John Austin, has expressed concern that his constituents in Thamesmead, who live under the flight-path for London City Airport, have not been consulted about plans to increase the number of flights. John Austin said, “Residents of Thamesmead have not been formally consulted and neither have I. We only learned of the proposals by chance. The Planning Authority is Newham Council and I understand that they did inform Greenwich Council but not Bexley”. Speaking at a meeting of Greenwich & Lewisham Friends of the Earth held at the Jubilee Hall, Lytton Strachey Path in Thamesmead on Thursday, John Austin said: “It is not clear whether the responsibility for consulting with local residents in Thamesmead rests with Newham as the Planning Authority or their local council, but someone should have at least notified local people.
John Austin wrote to Newham Council last week asking for the consultation deadline to be extended to enable Thamesmead residents to be consulted and says that a number of his constituents have expressed concerns about noise levels and further atmospheric pollution.
John Austin says: “I recognise that City Airport is a key player in the regeneration of Docklands and south-east London, and it will become more easily accessible once the Docklands Light Railway comes to Woolwich, but these economic benefits need to be weighed very carefully against any environmental dis-benefits. I would certainly be opposed to night flights and any increase in week-end use by the airport. There could be an environmental case for maximising the use of existing airports before considering the expansion of or building new runways at others. Maybe the best way to weigh up these issues would be by way of a Public Inquiry where all these issues could be examined.” He has now written to the Secretary of State for Transport asking her to consider whether the application should be ‘called-in’ either for a decision by the Minister or for a Public Inquiry.
