Council leaders 'confident' over Heathrow air pollution controls
12.07.08
Council leaders who met with EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas this week say they are confident he will insist on strict conditions for any member state seeking to delay compliance with new air pollution controls. The representatives of the 2M Group had raised concerns at the UK Government's plan to avoid its responsibilities for meeting EU limits on nitrogen dioxide as part of a bid to add an extra 60,000 flights a year at Heathrow.
The additional capacity would be achieved by allowing take-offs and landings to operate in parallel on both existing runways with no break during the day - the so called 'mixed mode' operation. Although transport secretary Ruth Kelly has now put back any decision on Heathrow's expansion until nearer the end of the year, this would still enable the airport to switch to 'mixed mode' operations during 2009 – ahead of the target date of January 2010 for the new air quality directive.
The 2M leaders told Commissioner Dimas that expansion on this scale would generate one million extra vehicle movements on roads around Heathrow. The result would be higher levels of nitrogen dioxide for local communities.
Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister, speaking on behalf of the group, said: ‘We were trying to establish the ground rules for dealing with any application by a member state for extra time in meeting the directive. Our meeting with Commissioner Dimas was incredibly positive. He left us in no doubt of his personal commitment to tackling air pollution.'
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