Community needs Heathrow Airport

FELT compelled to respond to the anonymous letter published in last week’s paper regarding Heathrow’s future, particularly as I was singled out for special attention ‘Heathrow can only ever be part-time’ (Letters, October 1).

The letter went on to blame the airport owner’s ‘intransigence’ for blocking the building of a Thames Estuary Airport, which would have resulted in the loss of 114,000 local jobs and cost more than £120bn to the UK taxpayer.

I am sure Heathrow would be delighted to take the credit for this but I feel it fair to point out that it was the determination of local people that helped win the day.

More than 40,000 have already signed up to the Back Heathrow campaign, to block the Mayor’s barmy scheme and to secure a bright future for the UK’s only hub airport.

Unfortunately, the root cause of the problem has not gone away – Heathrow is bursting at the seams.

The choice we face remains whether to allow the airport to grow or decline.

The threat of closure had one upside: it made many residents and politicians realise how much they appreciated their airport.

Yes, Heathrow is not perfect and it must work harder to reduce noise and pollution, but the fortunes of local communities and Heathrow are inextricably linked.

So, let’s choose to grow and

I