Heathrow Expansion consultation: documents available to view

Documents on plans to extend Heathrow Airport and redesign its airspace are available to view at St Albans City and District Council.

A consultation on the two issues runs until Wednesday 28 March with feedback welcome from residents and organisations.

Papers detailing the proposals are open for inspection at the Civic Offices, St Peter’s Street, St Albans. Anyone interested should ask at the reception desk.

The same information is also available on the consultation website: www.heathrowconsultation.com.

In the Documents and Resources section, two key papers are the Airport Expansion and the Airspace Principles consultation documents.

These summarise the current options and approaches and pose questions on the specific issues upon which feedback is particularly desired.

The Council is currently considering its own response to the consultation which it will make in due course.

One issue affecting the District is the use of airspace surrounding Heathrow by passenger jets waiting to land. 

This “stacking” of aircraft can partly determine the height at which planes travel over the District while using Luton Airport and the noise they then generate at ground level.

Emma Gilthorpe, Heathrow Expansion Executive Director, wrote to the Council inviting it to take part in the consultation along with residents.

She said:

In October 2016, the Government announced a new north west runway at Heathrow as its preferred option for expanding airport capacity in the South East. 

Since then we have been developing proposals and options for the expansion of the airport and its associated airspace.

She added:

We want to ensure that as many people as possible have their say on how we build a future airport.

Councillor Beric Read, Portfolio Holder for Business and the Community, said:

Heathrow may not be right on the District’s doorstep, but we are involved in the consultation because it does involve issues affecting residents.

Principally, the way aircraft landing at Heathrow are stacked means that those taking off northwards over us have to stay lower, and those leaving Luton then have to fly even lower over the District.

I am sure many local people and community organisations that feel strongly about this will want to look at the consultation documents and have their say. As a Council, we will also be contributing to the feedback.

Responses consultation should be made by email. Please see https://www.heathrowconsultation.com/ for more details. 

Alternatively, you can reply by Freepost LHR EXPANSION CONSULTATION or Freepost LHR AIRSPACE CONSULTATION.

Councillor contact:
Councillor Beric Read, Portfolio Holder for Business and the Community for St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 07956 220264; e-mail: Cllr.B.Read@stalbans.gov.uk  

Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City & District Council
Tel: 01727 296130; e-mail: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk