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Heathrow expansion protesters hold Barnes rally | Heathrow expansion protesters hold Barnes rally |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Hundreds of people have gathered to demonstrate against the possible expansion of Heathrow Airport. | |
Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Zac Goldsmith MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston have spoken at the rally in Barnes, south-west London. | Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Zac Goldsmith MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston have spoken at the rally in Barnes, south-west London. |
Last September, the government launched a review of how the UK might expand its airport capacity in the South East. | Last September, the government launched a review of how the UK might expand its airport capacity in the South East. |
One long-standing option has been to add a third runway at Heathrow. | One long-standing option has been to add a third runway at Heathrow. |
'Massive scale' | 'Massive scale' |
Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports, handling more than 69 million passengers a year. | |
Mr Johnson said the expansion of Heathrow would be a "giant step backwards for London", giving rise to "great flying fleets of fortissimo flatulence". | |
He told BBC London the alternatives offered by Gatwick, Stansted and two sites in the Thames Estuary should be concentrated on, and the idea of Heathrow expansion "closed down". | |
He said Prime Minister David Cameron was keeping his cards close to his chest. | |
He added: "I think my party, the Conservatives, would be utterly nuts to go into the next election with the possibility of a Heathrow third runway on the table." | |
Conservative MPs Mr Goldsmith and Justine Greening, MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields. also spoke to protesters. | |
Sean McKee, director of policy at London Chamber of Commerce, said London is a "global city in an island economy". | Sean McKee, director of policy at London Chamber of Commerce, said London is a "global city in an island economy". |
He said there was a race between European capitals to see who could connect and trade with Asia, Africa and South America, and Heathrow provided the best opportunity. | He said there was a race between European capitals to see who could connect and trade with Asia, Africa and South America, and Heathrow provided the best opportunity. |
Mr McKee said: "I think it's quite simplistic for those local politicians in west London to claim that everybody inside their boundary opposes Heathrow expansion. | Mr McKee said: "I think it's quite simplistic for those local politicians in west London to claim that everybody inside their boundary opposes Heathrow expansion. |
"Overwhelmingly, our members say they want to continue flying from Heathrow because it gives them the connections they need." | "Overwhelmingly, our members say they want to continue flying from Heathrow because it gives them the connections they need." |
'Health issue' | 'Health issue' |
But one resident, who has lived in Kew for 10 years, told BBC London the noise from flights already affects people's health. | |
"With an extra runway the respite we get either in the morning or the afternoon could disappear," he said. | "With an extra runway the respite we get either in the morning or the afternoon could disappear," he said. |
"Night flights are the biggest bane of my life. The 04:30 flight comes in, wakes us up and we're all up for the day so there's a health issue here as much as anything else." | |
A commission chaired by ex-Financial Services Authority boss Sir Howard Davies, is to consider a number of options to expand capacity, including a new airport to the east of London. | A commission chaired by ex-Financial Services Authority boss Sir Howard Davies, is to consider a number of options to expand capacity, including a new airport to the east of London. |
The commission will report after 2015. | The commission will report after 2015. |
A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said: "Previous attempts to tackle the question of airport capacity have failed, often due to a lack of consensus on the evidence. | |
"Our approach is to build a strong political consensus so we can plan for the future. A rushed decision is not an option." |
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