To consider any matters arising.

The Community Protection Principal reminded Members that a rebuttal against the need for a third runway would be heard by the High Court. However the Council had also taken the decision to join the Heathrow Strategic Planning Group in order to allow input into discussions around providing the best possible mitigation for the Royal Borough in the event of the third runway being built at Heathrow.

The Head of Planning reminded the Forum that the HSPG had been set up in 2015 to provide a single contact point for local authorities and enterprise partnerships in the area surrounding Heathrow Airport. It was accepted that attitudes towards the proposed expansion varied amongst the local authorities, but there was a shared vision towards securing effective mitigation against the impact of expansion through the Masterplan Principles. A set of position papers had been produced, which had been developed on a without prejudice basis to enable each Council to make their individual comments and representations on the Heathrow expansion proposals.

Members were informed that a Heathrow expansion-related Transport Strategy was being worked on and refined, and an infrastructure study produced jointly with Heathrow Airport was close to being completed. An HSPG sub group had asked for a holistic approach to tackling the issues of access, air quality and lower emissions. An overarching Economic Strategy - which took into account the displacement of businesses and commercial premises during any construction work; workforce accommodation; the socioeconomic effect on low income groups living in the vicinity of the airport; and apprenticeship requirements for any construction – was also being developed over the coming months. A community compensation fund has already been set up by Heathrow Airport Limited. The Principal Planning Policy Officer stated his belief that the various strategies had not been advanced as far as Heathrow Airport would have wanted. Paul Graves stated that the only displaced residents lived in Hillingdon. He stated that 700 homes were planned for demolition in the event of expansion of the airport and a further 375 would no longer be habitable, with homeowners having the option of selling their homes to Heathrow Airport Limited. Paul Graves stated he had seen a recent press article which said the CAA were seeking clarification on how Heathrow Airport Limited intended to fund this, and there had been a very limited response. The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that Council officers shared those concerns about the lack of information on funding. The Chairman stated that Heathrow Airport Limited had recently taken on an estimated £1billion of debt.

The Forum was told that the Stage 5 Infrastructure Study had been published earlier in the day. The Head of Planning confirmed that the study had been partially funded by Heathrow Airport Limited as part of the priority work for the Development Consent Order; however they had no say in the outcome of what was contained within the report. The Chairman informed Members that he had attended a recent HSPG event, and the subject of infrastructure had not been mentioned.

Cllr Beer stated that the HSPG had been set up for some time prior to the Council being made aware of its existence. Five priority councils had been identified at the time of HSPG’s inception; Cllr Beer stated his belief that this had been a PR exercise. He stated that the Council had not been selected as the Royal Borough was a prosperous area in comparison to the priority councils. The Chairman informed the Forum that he had complained about the Royal Borough being considered as a council area that would not be affected by Heathrow expansion. The Chairman stated that he had been informed he was not entitled to take part in the strategic discussions at HSPG as he was not a Cabinet member. He stated that he had discussed this with the Council Leader and he may be elevated to a Cabinet position in order to represent the Council’s views at HSPG. If this were done, there would be no additional financial cost to the Council. Cllr Beer stated his belief that it was undemocratic for Heathrow Airport Limited to dictate who could and couldn’t be represented at the HSPG meetings. He also said it was perverse that the Royal Borough had been deemed as not being affected by any expansion work when it was the closest council area geographically to the airport. The Chairman added that the Royal Borough would also be impacted by work to reroute the M25. Cllr Beer highlighted that the London Borough of Ealing was much further away but had been selected as one of the HSPG’s five priority councils. Cllr Beer stated his biggest concern related to housing needs that would be created by any expansion work. The Head of Planning reiterated that participation at the HSPG would enable the Council’s views to be put forward, and allow for input into securing the best mitigation for the impact of expansion work.