We hear through the grapevine that London City Airport has actually asked a housing association in South East London to identify all the roads that fall into the noise contour map in that area.
We find this absolutely amazing - as the area in question was even mentioned in the first public inquiry, even though it hadn't been built on. In fact, even the Public Safety Zone lands on it so you would expect LCA to know the area well by now. LCA really do have their finger on the button don't they - they never fail to bring a smile to our faces! Talk about getting someone else to do your own dirty work and so much for their claimed 'community relations' in that area then!! A little late we would suggest? Perhaps they need an up to date street map or a sat nav to help guide them?
How well this indicates that the airports own 'extensive' consultation (as so famously stated in a response to a campaigner) with all these neighbours that they claim support them - but don't actually know about the planned expansion: was, ummmm...not extensive at all! Clearly they share rather a lot with the disaster that we know of as Newham Council in regard as 'consultations'.
Anyhow the purpose for getting this housing association to do their dirty work is: the roads in that area are planned to be the lucky recipients of the Pinnochio LCA News. Probably quite appropriate really as most of the residents in that area will be spending a lot of extra time indoors, if expansion goes ahead, due to the ear deafening increase in noise - so they could do with the extra reading. Let's hope those residents can afford to invest in a bit of air con too - as they will be baking in those hot summer days - not being able to have their windows open.
Whoops - we forgot - LCA have said that those residents will "benefit" from mechanized ventilation - which won't reduce the noise of the planes, and neither will it keep homes cool. A REAL benefit - what do you think??
Who are they trying to convince that mechanized ventilation is a 'benefit'? Benefit to whom, or what, we would like them to tell us! Are we all supposed to be grateful for not being able to open our windows?
We all had a chat here at FTF and decided that LCA are shelling out a lot of money on spin and RPS at the moment, (the RPS bill could get big if Dublin is anything to go by!) so we thought it only fair if we set up a 'buy a map fund'. So if any of you have a few spare pennies please send them to: The Spinner College, Pinnochio Way, Loadsamoneytobemade- In-The-Docks, Asthmaville.
