14/05/13….Thame MP asks for airport plans to go public

FOLLOWING reports of future site options for a new airport hub in the Southeast, including one for Haddenham near Thame, the town’s MP, John Howell, has written to both the chairman of Heathrow Airport Holdings and to the Secretary of State for Transport seeking further information.

In his letters, the MP has asked for assistance in making publicly available the contents of the plan ‘so that it can be seen in its true context’.

In his letters, John Howell points out that the proposed Haddenham airport would be half way to Birmingham Airport and on the doorstep of Oxford airport.

The MP has also pointed out that the existence of plans for an airport this close to Thame could have been revealed as part of the Neighbourhood Planning process.

Out of four proposed locations for consideration, the Haddenham site would perhaps be the most controversial, as the proposed layout suggests the virtual removal of two villages, Chearsley and Long Crendon.

The advantages of a Haddenham airport are that the location is close to major transport links, the M40 and the Chiltern mainline route into London. Haddenham is also within a few miles of the government’s planned High Speed 2 (HS2) rail route to Birmingham, a move that, it is said, would boost transport times into Central London.

Heathrow Airport officials apparently told Aviation Week: “….the documents are early drafts developed by consultants last year. They are not designs that have been endorsed by Heathrow Airport. Heathrow will be making its considered submission to the Airports Commission in July.?