The London Assembly has passed a motion put forward by London Liberal Democrats calling for the protection of Richmond Park from Heathrow Airport's plans for increased flightpaths.
An analysis carried out by the Friends of Richmond Park found that under the current proposals (which remain at an early stage) as many as 60,000 arrival flights could pass over the park. The Liberal Democrats have warned that the potential increase in the number of flights over Richmond Park each year could damage the area’s wildlife and impact local residents.
Commenting, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“This potentially significant increase in flight paths within Heathrow’s proposals would mean that far more Londoners will be impacted by noise pollution from the Airport.
“Large numbers of Londoners live where they do because the current flight paths have been in place since the 1950s. They made life decisions based on those flight paths and the rest of life at ground level has similarly evolved and adapted itself around the current paths.
“We also know that noise pollution from aircraft can contribute to a range of mental and physical health problems, most often linked to disturbances in our sleep cycles.
“We urge Heathrow to go back to the drawing board on these plans.”
Read more at the BBC.