Calls On Mayor To "Stop Wasting Tax Payers' Money" On Thames
Estuary Airport
Unite, the largest
labor union in the United Kingdom, has called on London mayor Boris
Johnson to "stop wasting tax payers' money on consultants looking
at plans to create a new airport on an artificially created island
in the Thames estuary."
The union believes the plans for the new airport are flawed, and
could seriously jeopardise the local economy around West London,
along with thousands of Heathrow jobs. Unite notes there have been
three major studies into the feasibility of building an airport in
the Thames estuary, the latest of which was tossed out by the
government in 2003 as too expensive.
"The Mayor's proposal suggests that Heathrow should close in
favour of this new facility," said Unite National Officer Brian
Boyd. "There are 172,000 jobs at Heathrow which has two runways.
Does the Mayor wish to explain to the Heathrow workers what effect
closure will have on their community and where the workforce for a
four runway airport is going to come from?"
Unite says there are many reasons why the Thames estuary airport
should not be built. For one, the area is a bird sanctuary...
"raising the worrying issue of bird strikes causing aircraft
engines and windscreens to fail."
The union also takes
Johnson to task for his proposal to build the airport on an
artificial island composed of landfill waste. "The Thames is not
the best place to site a man made island, due to tidal and storm
surges which can increase sea level by several metres," the union
says, adding "The infrastructure needed to support the Thames
estuary airport would be too difficult to provide."
As an example of what can go wrong with airports located on man
made islands, Unite points to Japan's Kansai airport. "At Kansai
the airport sank over 13 metres into the sea after it was opened 14
years ago and despite millions being spent on shoring it up it is
still an economic disaster."
Placing an airport on the Thames would also lead to increased
noise complaints from a number of nearby resort areas, the union
asserts.
Instead of an entirely new airport, Unite says it supports
improvements to Heathrow (shown at right), including the building
of a third runway. "The expansion of the existing facilities at
Heathrow far out weighs the impracticalities of a new airport sited
on the Thames estuary. Unite supports improved transport
infrastructure throughout the UK, and we see greater airport
capacity coupled with advanced rail links as essential in making
the UK a country that people want to travel to, and within."