Heathrow

Increased air traffic and changes to flight paths could create unwanted noise and pollution over Wimbledon, but the Society is also aware of the benefits of improved transport connections. The Society believes that expansion of Heathrow would not benefit Wimbledon and that better alternatives exist, if there is to be increased air transport for London and the South East. We also wish to avoid any harmful impact to Wimbledon from changes to flight paths.

Use of Heathrow, because of its location, requires aircraft to fly over London – a large, densely populated city. The current location of this vital transport hub is clearly inappropriate and unsustainable. Better options for air transport, and for the use of the Heathrow site, should be followed.

Heathrow Airport Expansion (Sept 2019)

The Society has carried out a careful review of the proposals for the expansion of Heathrow Airport. These were put out for public consultation, with a deadline of 13 September 2019.

Wimbledon is currently overflown by some departing aircraft and would be much more affected by the proposed wider envelopes. We gave our responses to the 24 questions in the consultation document, as set out in the attached letter, with the proviso that these questions are biased towards an assumption that those proposals will be carried out and that the public are only asked to comment on the details.

It will be seen that the Society is not in agreement with the basic premise of an expansion of Heathrow as a permanent solution to the problems of aircraft capacity in London and the south-east.