Southampton Airport Expansion - for or against?

Are your for or against?

  • For
  • Against

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You can voice your opinion here: Airport Expansion Opposition Southampton – Join our campaign to oppose the expansion of Southampton Airport

The deadline for comments is 5th March 2021 .

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Eastleigh Labour has been consistent on our opposition to this. Environmental costs do not outweigh the benefits. Why should local people have to suffer unclean air, traffic and noise pollution to line shareholder profits in London?

By the way, I hear there is an election coming up…

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Interesting points on the shorter runway:

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After 14 hours, the airport planning meeting gave no result. Meeting to continue today at 6pm, here’s the report:

I found these surprising:

Comments Received During First Consultation, November 2019 (Concluded 16/01/20)
Number of representations received:
Object – 617
Support – 272
Comment - 28

Comments Received During Second Consultation, July 2020 (Concluded 21/09/20)
(Only comments not previously expressed reported)
Number of representations received:
Objection - 1,483
Support - 2,942
Comment - 54

Comments Received During Third Consultation, Oct 2020 (Concluded 15/11/20)
(Only comments not previously expressed reported)
Number of representations received:
Objectors – 444
Supporters – 1035

Comments Received During Fourth Consultation, January 2021 (Concluded 05/03/21)
(Only comments not previously expressed reported)
Number of representations received:
Objectors – 422
Page | 32
Supporters – 256
Comments – 12

Introduction

Speakers in Opposition

Speakers in Support

Questions and Debate

Debate and Decision

Jolly good show!

Is it me or is there a lot of misinformation going around about the airport runway expansion?

I see a lot of misleading quotes/comments like the following on social media:

  • “If you don’t want houses there, the airport has to go ahead”
  • “If you want more jobs, the airport has to go ahead”.
  • “People moved near an airport anyway so they have to expect planes”
  • “It’ll be fine if they do chickenhall link road”.

But this doesn’t tally up with what the evidence in the reports shows from what I read/hear.

  • Noise level will be up, and >30,000 people that weren’t impacted by noise will start to be.
  • Traffic on already overloaded roads will go up.
  • There will be no burst of jobs, there is only expected to be Eastleigh jobs during the construction phase, afterward none.
  • There will be no road improvements with this.
  • There would be no cap on maximum traffic like other airports have.
  • Pollution would go up and Eastleigh already has some poor air quality areas. This seems to be under-looked as far as I can see?

Air Pollution in Eastleigh
Take a look at Defra, https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/

Some areas of Eastleigh are currently in band 3. While this looks green, planes aren’t currently flying very much and the next band 4 is amber and has slightly more alerting words like “Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, who experience symptoms, should consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors.”

I think I’d prefer the green to get greener, nor redder, wouldn’t you? :slight_smile:

Thanks to the brave councillors who stood up against seemingly many voices in Eastleigh to do the right thing for the future of our children, and stand up to climate change. I for one am very appreciative (and I do love the airport, and I do like to fly…).

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No idea! It’s hard to be objective because I vaguely remember that in pre-Covid times I much preferred flying from Southampton than the alternatives. I’m definitely glad I don’t live under the flightpath anymore though and I agree with @afdy that some of the arguments seem quite weak. It also seems wrong that people directly effected in neighbouring councils have no direct say, but then we have form when it comes to excluding people from decisions which affect them. What’s your view @Sam4eastleigh?

Many thanks for this useful information - I was wondering what the figures were after reading many social media posts stating that ‘everybody in Eastleigh supports the extension’ - now we know what the actual numbers are.

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Unfortunately the numbers in the report may not be representative. They’re a self selecting group of people who have been motivated enough to contribute to the planning process. You’d need a properly run opinion poll to get a better idea. Or a local referendum :slight_smile:

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The problem is on top of that though, is that most people a have an opinion either way on this, but it is biased based on misinformation and not truth from what I can read.

At least the people that officially fed-back to the planning team took the effort to do so and not just a quick comment on Facebook after some assumptions based on what they read on Facebook. :slight_smile:

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The airport extension got a mention on Radio 4 yesterday. About 1:23:45 through…

Seems like business as usual rather than civil war but it does reinforce my view of political parties, whichever colour rosette they wear :slight_smile:

I’ve posted a separate thread over here to discuss the recent lib dem resignation. Councillor leaves Lib Dems after Southampton Airport decison

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Interesting airport opposition website over here I just stumbled on.

I hadn’t clocked before that a the db noise scale is logarithmic, and that a 10db increase in sound is double!

Worth a watch, Cllr Tina Campbell has raised some serious concerns on the airport planning process, and it being rushed through.

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Currently watching the Teams meeting. Many councillors are AGAINST it, and there’s a few heated comments about the age of the Council and individual Cllrs.

However the majority seem FOR it, for the moment. A handful of those saying “It’s Planning Law. Under Planning Law, we can’t stand in the way” but many are scared about the airport closing and the job losses.

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SOU Airport Runway Expansion Council Vote: 22 FOR, 13 AGAINST, 1 ABSTAIN

Motion is carried. Council SUPPORTS the Airport Runway Expansion

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Closer voting than I expected.

FOR (22)

  • Councillor David Airey
  • Councillor Margaret Allingham
  • Councillor Janice Asman
  • Councillor Margaret Atkinson
  • Councillor Paul Bicknell
  • Councillor Alex Bourne
  • Councillor Alan Broadhurst
  • Councillor Ian Corben
  • Councillor Tonia Craig
  • Councillor Malcolm Cross
  • Councillor James Duguid
  • Councillor Cynthia Garton
  • Councillor Judith Grajewski
  • Councillor Steve Holes
  • Councillor Keith House
  • Councillor Darshan Mann
  • Councillor Adam Manning
  • Councillor David Pragnell
  • Councillor Derek Pretty
  • Councillor Jane Rich
  • Councillor Bruce Tennent
  • Councillor Adrian Trace

AGAINST (13)

  • Councillor Tim Bearder
  • Councillor Tina Campbell
  • Councillor Daniel Clarke
  • Councillor Nicholas Couldrey
  • Councillor Ray Dean
  • Councillor Jephthe Doguie
  • Councillor Richard Gomer
  • Councillor Wayne Irish
  • Councillor Lucy Jurd
  • Councillor Rupert Kyrle
  • Councillor Michelle Marsh
  • Councillor Louise Parker-Jones
  • Councillor Sara Tyson-Payne

ABSTAINED (1)

  • Councillor Gin Tidridge

NO SHOW (2)

  • Councillor Rob Rushton
  • Councillor Tim Groves
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Thanks for providing this.

I submitted a written statement in support of the proposal that was read out approximately 2:12:15 here:

The University of Southampton is world renowned for its aeronautical engineering. What I would love to see is a partnership between the university, the airport, the freeport and the Solent Enterprise Zone to develop world class electric aircraft that would keep people moving, but at the same time help set an example to others re: emissions.

It could really put Eastleigh on the map again, a bit like Supermarine did all those years ago…

Alexander Culley
Reform UK candidate for Eastleigh North (Hampshire County Council) and Eastleigh Central (Eastleigh Borough Council)

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