Dear Mark and Darren,
On behalf of the Camp Hope, I would like to thank you both for allowing our protest to go ahead this weekend. I would also like you to pass on our thanks to your security personnel who were professional and reasonable at all times. Furthermore, I would like to thank you both for coming down to the camp and meeting with us for a debate, even if it was robust and we were still unable to reach a consensus at the end.
I would also like to specifically thank Darren for agreeing to hand out the fliers that we prepared. As you are aware, the flier shows the current temperature forecasts from the IPCC reports. To confirm my answers to Darren’s questions on the robustness of the data, the graph is the consensual opinion of 2,500 of the worlds leading climate scientists. It is a devastating graph, as it will take the temperatures of our planet into regions that are far beyond survivable and well within the lifetime of our children. We are currently most likely to experience the worst case projections. In answer to Darren’s second question of what the government is doing about it, the sad answer is very little and that is ultimately why we spent the weekend on your doorstep trying to raise awareness. I do hope that we have been successful in this.
As you are aware my position is primarily from the perspective of global warming. However, the vociferous reaction of locals to the airport took me aback, with many of them being concerned about both noise and pollution. One Staverton resident told us that every second house in his street seems to have a cancer victim and this concurs with research which shows cancer clusters around airports, see http://www.areco. org/ExpAir. pdf
I was however disappointed to find out that the fliers were not physically handed to the passengers, but instead simply left in the center of the terminal building. Whilst I accept that they were in a prominent position, it was a breach of what we agreed. I trust that you will rectify this and arrange for the fliers to be handed our as agreed.
I am sorry that Mark still considers us to be extremists and fanatics. However in the light of the IPCC report, which he claims to have read, it is difficult to see how he can maintain this position. We contend that he is a fanatic by pursuing an environmentally damaging business development in the light of the evidence clear warnings on climate change.
As such we will continue working with our solicitors to bring a case for breach of human rights and breach of natural law if you are successful with your planning application. This case would be directed at either yourselves or the council for approving the application.
It is disappointing that your organization is still trying to perpetuate the myth that there is no expansion. If you want to define expansion strictly on the size of your perimeter fence, then it would be true to say that there is not expansion. However, this is not important, what is important is the number of flights and size of planes that you expect, and you both acknowledge that these will increase.
It is also sad that you are still trying to pursue the argument that safety is the objective, when your proposal introduces a new safety risks by traffic lighting Bramfurlong Lane to ensure high sided vehicles do not encroach on the approach path of planes.
Your argument that you are only adding 12m of additional tarmac may be true, but you omitted to mention that this extension opens up access to an extended run off area. Thus the effective runway increase will be well beyond the 12m that you quote.
With these mis-truths, you are misleading your investors who are the council tax paying public that will underwrite your investment.
We will of course continue our protest, and will stage other events at the airport at a time and place of our choosing.
Yours Kevin Lister
on behalf of Camp Hope
Darren Lewington, Airport Operations Director, receiving the fliers and committing to handing them out to passengers.
