Birmingham Airport says runway extension will benefit economy and health
10.06.08
Birmingham Airport published two reports today in which it attempts to show that a planned £120 million runway extension will have an overall benefit on health and employment. The application, sent to Solihull Council, would see the runway extended 405m (1,329ft) towards Bickenhill and Hampton-in-Arden, in Warwickshire. The airport say the extension would mean it would be able to accommodate larger aircraft and operate more long haul routes, including direct flights to China and the west coast of America.
But the airport is under pressure to explain why it requested a second opinion-analysis of a £50,000 study by experts at Liverpool University, which warned of health implications for children at 31 local schools, elderly people and anyone with circulatory or respiratory conditions.
The second report, a peer group review by RPS consultants of the Liverpool health impact study, concludes the extension is not likely to result in ‘any meaningful health outcome’ from changes in air quality, while dismissing any chance of significant impact on children’s learning. It says the net impact will be positive, creating almost 20,000 new jobs across the West Midlands with ‘subsequent benefits to health’. Airport managers paid £10,000 for the review after Liverpool University declined a request to produce an easy-to-read summary of its complex 171-page academic report.
Birmingham Airport managing director Joe Kelly said he wanted a ‘second opinion’ in order to make sure the university analysis was properly understood. He said: ‘We believe it has helped our understanding and we will use both reports to produce a health management plan. The key message is that both reports conclude the runway extension offers a net benefit in terms of health impact.’
Mr Kelly said the Liverpool report failed to take into account a £10 million mitigation plan proposed by the airport that would provide extensive soundproofing for homes and schools, along with a health forum to monitor the impact of the longer runway. He also pointed out that the airport is under no statutory obligation to accompany its runway planning application to Solihull Council with a health impact study but had done so because it wanted to be transparent in addressing the concerns of local people.
The number of people likely to be ‘highly annoyed’ by noise from the airport will increase by 1859 by 2030. But the figure will be significantly reduced as a result of sound insulation, according to the RPS analysis. The number of people experiencing highly disturbed sleep if the extension goes ahead will increase by 258 to 6874 by 2022, but fall back by 2030.
Both reports underline the importance of the runway extension to businesses, which will benefit for the first time from non-stop flights to China, India, the west coast of America and South America. The extension is likely to generate £824 million in additional income for the regional economy by 2030. The university report warns: ‘Not going ahead with the proposal would potentially disadvantage the West Midlands’ economic growth and development.’
West Midlands Friends of the Earth spokesman Chris Crean accused the airport of attempting to ‘create a positive spin and gloss over’ adverse comments in the Liverpool University analysis. He said: ‘We commend Birmingham Airport for ordering the impact study, but if they don’t take their medicine as a result of this it won’t do anything to improve the health of people living near the airport.’
‘The airport can’t just cherry-pick the best things about the extension plans and parade them in front of people. They have to look at the whole picture. They have to look at the effects of things like engine testing on people living next to the runway. There is going to be a negative effect on people if these plans go ahead.’
Lester Beeson, from the Save Elmdon Action Group, which also opposes the plans, said: ‘They can spend as much on sound insulation as they like, but they can’t insulate someone’s back garden. They can’t insulate against someone who wants to leave their windows open on a warm evening who is going to have a lot of noise in their house.’
But Solihull MP Lorely Burt, who has spoken out in favour of the airport plans, said: ‘Without noise management this plan would not have got my support. We have to look at the report as a whole, obviously there are going to upset local people but we have to look at it with a balanced view. There are obvious benefits to the economic prosperity of the region from the airport, but we have to make sure that everything is done to make sure the right things are done to benefit everyone involved.’
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