5 August (Part 2) - Plane silly
If I look out of my front window I can see trains heading for London and
aeroplanes heading for London City Airport. In the evening the aeroplanes are more
frequent than the trains and after dark one can see a line of landing lights stacked up in the eastern sky.
Fortunately I do not hear either when indoors but travel a mile or so to the
north and those aeroplanes are low enough to see what make of tyres each airline
favours. So Bexley Council is concerned about the noise impact on its more northerly residents, right?
You would think so but you would be wrong. The airport is being expanded as
anyone who passes by on the Docklands Light Railway can see for themselves but
Bexley residents are being kept in the dark about the expansion plans.
In yet another example of it being uninterested in its northern outpost Bexley
Council is not taking part in the current expansion consultation beyond a few
details lodged with Bexleyheath Central Library.
There is a City Airport Consultative Committee
of which Conservative Councillor James Hunt is a member. The Labour Group alleges he has not been present at any of its meetings.
I checked with James, he is an approachable sort of chap, and there was an
unfortunate very last minute date clash with the only meeting of his tenure, which he regrets.
Labour Councillors don’t think that is good enough and have issued
a Press Release on the Consultation issue.
City Airport’s Consultation questionnaire may be accessed from here
together with a not hugely informative video.