Meeting hears flight path fears
Campaigners flocked to a public meeting held in West Lothian last week over the controversial new flight paths proposed by Edinburgh Airport.
Chaired by Neil Findlay MSP, the meeting was also attended by the chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, Gordon Dewar, as well as campaigners and members of the public.
Campaigners questioned Mr Dewar’s claims that the new routes would result in 25,000 less people being flown over with members of Edinburgh Airport Watch saying the Airport Executive didn’t answer pertinent questions.
Helena Paul from Edinburgh Airport Watch said: “These questions were not answered. Gordon Dewar was standing there not answering questions but pretending to answer questions.
“People are showing deep, deep concern and that was clearly coming out at the meeting. No one wants this but it is being imposed on them.”
A spokesperson for the campaign group added: “The people attending the meeting were rightly very worried about the life changing implications of the airport’s proposals and clearly do not trust what the airport is telling them.
“They are confused by the 900 pages of documents the airport has produced, which also contain factual errors. Many are furious that they were excluded from the first stage of the process.”
Neil Findlay has called for the whole proposal to be scrapped.
He said: “The representatives from Edinburgh Airport were left in absolutely no doubt about the strength of feeling from the communities that will affected.
“Many people who attended were from new housing developments in East Calder and Winchburgh and have been excluded from the airports assessment of the impact of their proposals.
“I have real concerns about the way this consultation has been carried and am calling on Edinburgh airport to scrap this flawed consultation and go back to square one”
Linlithgow MSP, Fiona Hyslop, met with representatives from the airport earlier this month and urged constituents to submit their views to the consultation before the deadline on April 30.
She added: “The preferred routes marked on the airport’s website are simply that – preferred routes and it is entirely possible that given the data they receive from the consultation that they may choose any one of their proposed routes. That is why it is so important for local residents to submit their views on each of the proposed routes, not only the airport’s preferred options.
“I am aware from the contact I have received from constituents that there are particular concerns regarding the preferred C5 and D0 routes that could end up flying over Winchburgh.
“I have responded to those who have contacted me to ask them to submit formally to the consultation and would urge all those across West Lothian to do likewise.”
A spokesperson from Edinburgh Airport said: “The meeting in Livingston was our tenth communities meeting during this second stage of public consultation on airspace change. We have held more meetings since and have more to come. These meetings have been a valuable listening exercise for us to gather feedback and opinions as well as share information with hundreds of people. The preferred routes we have put forward are just preliminary proposals. Nothing is set in stone and we will hope that people continue to offer responses to this mass public consultation which remains open until the end of April.”
The people attending the meeting were rightly very worried