Maidenhead & Windsor

The Maidenhead Royal Borough has once again demonstrated its vital role in spearheading the continuing battle against the threat of more night flights at Heathrow.

This week's news that the government appears to have finally "buckled under pressure" in its battle to do away with a movements limit on night flights at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports has been greeted with delight by Maidenhead Royal Borough councillors and officers.

The government climb-down comes in the wake of a long-running campaign led by the Royal Borough against a clause in the Civil Aviation Bill in which the government sought to remove restrictions on flight numbers between 11.30pm and 6am.

This week's news, detailed in a letter from Aviation Minister Gillian Merron, revealed that the government will not try to reinstate the clause – twice defeated in the House of Lords - when the bill returns to the Commons for the last time in the autumn.

Maidenhead Royal Borough councillors and officers rallied support from the 12 boroughs around Heathrow airport and urged Peers and MPs to oppose plans to remove the restrictions – and last month stepped up the pressure by joining in the rallying of local authority troops at a European Day of Action* procession and mass rally near Heathrow.

Maidenhead Cllr Antony Wood, lead member for traffic and transport said: "This is terrific news for all those of us who have fought long and hard on behalf of our local residents to keep a limit on the number of night flights – and of course a major relief for the residents themselves.

"The government has finally buckled under the combined pressure of a huge army of voices speaking out against their plans – and we in the Royal Borough are incredibly proud to have taken the lead and spearheaded the campaign to make the government listen to those
voices.

"But we will not stop here – we will continue to keep a very close watch on government plans for Heathrow to ensure we safeguard the quality of life for our residents as far as possible."

Cllr David Eglise, chairman of the Windsor Area Aviation Action group (WAAAG) said: "We are absolutely delighted that the government has listened to the voices of our local communities and has decided not to fight for the removal of the limit on numbers of night flights.

"With the threat of an increase in night flights now removed – and the limit set at 16 - at least our residents can look forward to some degree of certainty. This is truly encouraging news for everyone who has worked so hard to reach this stage."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead