Letter: Why Has Our MP Not Responded on Farnborough Airport Expansion?

Published on: 18 Jan, 2024
Updated on: 18 Jan, 2024

From Colin Byrne

See: Will Our MP Support My Suggestions Regarding Farnborough Airport’s Plans?

It has now been two weeks since I made my proposal in these pages on January 4 for a way forward on the expansion of the Farnborough Airport building and Angela Richardson’s proposal that there should be more negotiations with the local community.

Unfortunately, I have to report that there has been no response from our MP.

In my proposal, I was not asking our MP to take a side between those who wish to increase their use of private jets, particularly at weekends, and Guildford residents who would be impacted by the increase in noise from low-level jets landing at Farnborough.

I was not even asking her to take a side on the issue of whether increased private jet use, often for leisure purposes,  is compatible with the government’s commitments on Climate Change.

I was just asking her to follow up on her own suggestion that Farnborough Airport should enter into further negotiations with the community as set out in her letter to this paper.

I had hoped that by now she would have written to the airport seeking the further negotiations that she has advocated.

I had also hoped that in response to my previous letter she would have committed to supporting the calls for a public inquiry should Farnborough Airport refuse her invitation to enter into further negotiations.

The planning application for the airport’s expansion clearly meets the criterion in the government’s guidance, “could have significant effects beyond their immediate locality”, used for deciding whether the case should be examined through a public inquiry.

There are between 10 to 20 of these public inquiries a year. They are supervised by a professional who has the right skills and knowledge and who is above any local electoral considerations.

But we have not heard a peep from our MP in response to my letter. I simply cannot understand why she, seemingly, finds it so difficult to support my modest proposal.

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