The Stansted Inquiry - latest timetable

[Nemesis]

MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE

ISSUED BY STOP STANSTED EXPANSION 10 September 2007



THIS WEEK AT THE STANSTED AIRPORT PUBLIC INQUIRY



The Public Inquiry into BAA’s proposals to expand passenger capacity and increase aircraft movements at Stansted Airport on its single runway continues. We very much hope you can attend some of the sessions to give moral support to those speaking out against BAA’s proposals, especially when our local MP Sir Alan Haselhurst gives evidence on the morning of Tuesday 18 September.



Over the next eight days evidence will be heard from many local people plus various local councils from Herts, Essex and Suffolk, Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation, Ware Residents Against Stansted Expansion, Harlow Civic Society, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Bishop’s Stortford & District Footpaths Association, Friends of the Earth and others.



An outline timetable appears below. The full listing in the Official Timetable is accessible on line from the link on our website at: http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/r1_public_inquiry.html. Apart from the evening of Wednesday 12 September which will be held at Little Hallingbury Village Hall, all sessions are being held at Endeavour House, close to Stansted Airport - for directions, see:

http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/images/maps/Endeavour_House_BAA_Map.pdf



OUTLINE TIMETABLE



To summarise, the timetable for Tuesday 11 – Tuesday 18 September is as follows. There will then be a recess period before the Inquiry resumes on Tuesday 25 September to hear evidence on road and rail issues:



Tuesday 11 September

Endeavour House (10am – 5pm) – Saffron Walden Friends of the Earth evidence

Friends of the Earth (Saffron Walden)


Wednesday 12 September

Endeavour House (10am – 1pm) – various parties plus:

Friends of the Earth (East of England)
Derek Connell, Landlord, Three Horseshoes Pub and Duton Hill Community Association
Great Easton and Tilty Parish Council
Rushden & Wallington Parish Council
Aviation Environment Federation


Little Hallingbury Village Hall (7pm start) – various parties plus:

Little Hallingbury Parish Council
Hatfield Heath Parish Council
Viscount Simon
Pleshey Parish Council
Moreton, Bobbingworth & The Lavers Parish Council
Hornmead Parish Council


Thursday 13 September

Endeavour House (10am – 5pm) – various parties plus:

Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation
Ware Residents Against Stansted Expansion
Friends of the Earth (Bristol)
Henham Parish Council
Harlow Civic Society
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Bishop’s Stortford & District Footpaths Association
Thorley Parish Council


Friday 14 September

Endeavour House (10am – 5pm) – various parties plus:

St Edmundsbury Borough Council
Chrishall Parish Council
Residents of Burton End
GMB Union
West Anglia Commuters Rail User Group
Birchanger Parish Council
Great Chesterford Parish Council
Epping Forest District Council (tbc: this may move to 18 September)


Tuesday 18 September

Endeavour House (10am – 1pm) – various parties plus:

§ The Rt Hon Sir Alan Haselhurst MP (Saffron Walden)

§ Great Hallingbury Parish Council and St Giles Church



ENDS



FURTHER INFORMATION



Campaign Office

Stop Stansted Expansion

01279 870558

info@stopstanstedexpansion.com

http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com (see especially Public Inquiry page)


Note the SPAB is appearing on Thursday.

 

[Nemesis]

DIARY DATE FOR TUESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2007, 10am start


MP TO GIVE EVIDENCE AT STANSTED EXPANSION INQUIRY


Saffron Walden MP Sir Alan Haselhurst will give evidence at the Public Inquiry into the proposed expansion of Stansted Airport at Endeavour House on Tuesday 18 September at 10am for 15-30 minutes.


Sir Alan will tell the Inquiry Inspector, Mr Alan Boyland, that today – just as in the early 1970s – he believes it wrong to expand Stansted Airport or any other inland site because of the major impacts such expansion would have.

He will also make clear that what is sought in the current application is the thin end of the wedge as far as the future is concerned for those in the region and that further expansion is by no means essential to the success of the aviation industry or to the nation.

Far from being the Airport in the Countryside, Sir Alan will describe how Stansted and its operations have come to dominate the landscape with far-reaching consequences on those living under flight paths or using the region’s transport system.


The core text of Sir Alan’s proof of evidence is available online at:

http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/documents/PI_Sir_Alan_Haselhurst_PROOF_OF_EVIDENCE.doc.


FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information including a map showing the location of Endeavour House, please see the SSE Public Inquiry page at:

http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/r1_public_inquiry.html


Campaign Office

Stop Stansted Expansion

01279 870558

info@stopstanstedexpansion.com

http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com


Don’t forget the Runway Ramble in Hatfield Forest this Saturday morning too (15 September) – see http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/events.html#ramble for details

 

[Flyfisher]

Who'd have thought it? EasyJet pointing out the discrepancies of Government tax policy regarding aviation. Of course it's easy for them to talk about fewer emissions from modern aircraft, since they have one of the youngest fleets in the business, but they still make some good points.

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Demand a more intelligent approach to aviation

There is no doubt that climate change is a real and imminent danger which should be a concern for us all. We all have the responsibility to take intelligent and well thought-out actions to ensure we leave the planet in a good shape for generations to come.
However, much of the recent political debate has been characterised by gesture politics and discriminatory, often contradictory proposals. Politicians of all colours recognise that different cars have different emissions but do not see the same distinction within air travel.

We are an island nation in a globalised economy yet the UK already taxes flying more heavily than any other European country while making high-speed rail available only to those living in the South East. The time has come to scrap APD air tax and move the burden of taxation from passengers to aircraft emissions. Taxing families but not private jets is a grotesque insult.

It is time for us all to demand a more intelligent approach to flying. Politicians must incentivise consumers to take the greener option when it is available - this means banning the dirty, old aircraft from our skies; getting the right tax regime in place to reward cleaner behaviour; being realistic about the value of aviation and resisting the temptation to advocate alternatives when no such alternatives exist.

We urge you to write to your MP. It will only take two minutes to tell the politicians you demand a more informed and intelligent approach to aviation.

Step 1) Go to http://www.writetothem.com
Step 2) Type in your post code.
Step 3) Chose your MP (and any other politician you feel should get the message)
Step 4) Add your name and address and copy this message into the blank field:

"Dear Politician,

I agree with easyJet that it's time for politicians to be more intelligent when it comes to flying and climate change. You should be encouraging people to fly in cleaner aircraft - just like you advocate for cars.
It is time to ban the oldest, dirtiest aircraft in the sky. It would be easy to do and would have a big impact.
It is wrong to tax families but not private jets and cargo. Air Passenger Duty should be reformed to tax aircraft emissions - those that pollute the most should pay the most. UK air travellers already pay more tax than any other country in Europe.
You and your party should not hesitate to encourage aircraft technology developments. Air travel could be 50% cleaner within 10 years.
You should urge people and your colleagues to act responsibly - to fly with those airlines that have new aircraft, high passenger loads and fewer emissions. More questions should be asked in Parliament about the efficiency of transport modes used for Government business.
Even if you feel there is little you can do to influence this debate, make sure you read 'the facts about aviation emissions'. The more MPs are aware of the facts, the greater the ability of our country to take the lead in aviation emissions. The interests of air travellers in your constituency will be best served by having an informed political debate on the intelligent solutions to managing aviation emissions.
This is important to your constituency. Please let me know what actions you and your party will be taking."

Thank you for your attention and continued support.

Andy Harrison
Chief Executive Officer

 

[Nemesis]

UNION PICKETING OF STANSTED PUBLIC INQUIRY

"A THROWBACK TO A BYGONE AGE"



COMMENT FROM STOP STANSTED EXPANSION, 18 September 2007



Today's picketing of the Stansted Public Inquiry by members of Unite (formerly ‘amicus’ and the Transport & General Workers Union) is a throwback to a bygone age. The target of today's action was local MP Sir Alan Haselhurst who was giving evidence to the Stansted Inquiry against BAA's expansion plans for the airport.



It is understood that BAA managers at Stansted encouraged the picket, promising to pay their staff for joining in the protest. Many of the union demonstrators were believed to be BAA security staff and so BAA's generosity in agreeing to pay them to join the picket line may not have been appreciated by airport passengers standing in the security queues.



It is still not clear what the union protest is all about. The public inquiry is not considering the closure or contraction of Stansted Airport but the question of whether it should be permitted to expand to become the UK's second largest airport, after Heathrow.



Apart from the environmental arguments against BAA's expansion plans, a key concern is that this predominantly rural area could become over-dependent upon jobs at Stansted, making it vulnerable to any downturn in the aviation industry. Stansted is considered to be more vulnerable because a single customer, (non-union) Ryanair, accounts for two out of every three scheduled passengers at Stansted.



The area has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and Stansted is already unable to fill job vacancies locally. Airport employers are having to recruit from much further afield, including in Central and Eastern Europe and, if BAA's expansion plans were approved, it is not clear where the additional airport workers would come from.



Stop Stansted Expansion Economics Advisor Brian Ross commented: "We're scratching our heads to understand what this protest is all about. Many of SSE's supporters are airport employees who feel that enough is enough and that excessive expansion could threaten their future job security – not to mention their quality of life. And they tell us that they have not been consulted or balloted about this protest, although it is purported to be in their name."



Mr Ross concluded: "The airport is a valuable local employer but we shouldn't have too many eggs in one basket. We owe it to tomorrow's generation to create new job opportunities. That is what the union should focus upon rather than playing yesterday’s game with a picket line reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s. We are surprised that BAA considers this picket worth supporting, especially at the expense of its paying passengers."

.

ENDS



FURTHER INFORMATION
SSE Campaign Office, 01279 870558, info@stopstanstedexpansion.com
Read Sir Alan Haselhurst’s evidence at: http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/documents/PI_Sir_Alan_Haselhurst_PROOF_OF_EVIDENCE.doc
See also http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com