Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport (SEMA)

SEMA response to government Scoping Document on new aviation policy

2011-11-16T00:01:00.002Z

Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport submitted a response to the Department for Transport's 'Scoping Document'.

The response can be read here:

http://www.aef.org.uk/downloads/Stop_Expansion_at_Manchester_Airport_response_to_Scoping_Document.pdf

The response was endorsed by Councillor Martin Eakins and Manchester Friends of the Earth.

Ryanair marketing stall ejected by students

2011-11-04T13:52:00.006Z

Ryanair had to cancel a marketing event at the University of Manchester Students Union (UMSU) recently, after students dismantled their promotional stall in protest against the company’s record on the environment and workers’ rights.

Ryanair had advertised to hold a stall from 12pm to 3pm on Thursday 29 October 2011. However, at 12.30pm, a group of around nine students began dismantling the company’s banners and display boards and popping their promotional balloons. The Ryanair sales team soon left the building.

Students said the action was in anger at Ryanair’s disregard for the dangers of climate change by aggressively marketing cheap flights. They said the action was also taken in solidarity with disgruntled Ryanair workers. Last August, Ryanair worker John Foley staged a rooftop protest at Liverpool John Lennon Airport against the company’s anti-union activities and poor record on workers rights.

Physics student Catherine Redcliffe said, “Ryainair’s relentless pursuit of profit over all other concerns is trampling on workers’ rights and endangering our future at the same time. The aviation industry takes more money out of Northwest region than it puts in.”

Nonetheless, Ryanair seemed adamant that the day had been a success claiming that their staff were “about to pack up and head home” when the stall was disrupted. Spokesperson Stephen McNamara said, “Ryanair thanks the Plane Stupid clowns for once again turning a good promo into a great promo.”

However, students were bemused by this claim. Redcliffe explained, “Ryanair’s promotional stall was advertised on posters to last from 12noon to 3pm. The stall was dismantled at around 12.30pm after which their sales team left – so they lost out on most of the day. Their response is nothing unusual though. Everyone’s used to being lied to by Ryanair.”

Student Union climate change policies

The students, who did not claim to be from any particular group, were further angered at Students Union management for renting the space to Ryanair in the first place. Previously, students had voted that their union should campaign on climate issues and not have business relations with environmentally-damaging companies.

Geography student Marc Hempton, 20, said, “I wanted to show how Ryanair’s presence was a breach of our democratic process. This is my Union and our collective decision had been sidelined by unelected management. We shouldn’t allow environmentally damaging companies in our union where we have fought for positive policies on climate change and against relationships with unethical companies. I’m glad we sent them packing for the day.”

The day before, activists had petitioned UMSU management with letters signed by students to cancel the promotional event. Management refused, saying that Ryanair stall was bringing in extra cash.

Hempton added, “In some ways, this is a microcosm of problems regarding climate change and workers’ rights. Where making a quick profit is prioritised at the expense of people and our environment, it makes it harder to address these issues and creates bigger costs further down the line.”

Response deadline for Government 'Scoping Document' 20th October 2011

2011-10-13T20:19:00.006+01:00

The closing date for submissions for the Government's 'Scoping Document' is approaching on Thursday 20th October 2011.

The Scoping Document will help to draft new aviation policy to be released for public consultation in March 2012. The new policy will come into force in March 2013.

Airport Watch, the national umbrella organisation uniting environmental organisations, community groups and individuals opposed to airport expansion have produced a response here.

This includes a number of supporting documents on:
- climate change
- noise
- economics
- biofuels
- health impacts
- business connectivity and more.

If you wish to respond to the consultation, the details can be found below:

Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation

Date published: 30 March 2011
Closing date: 20 October 2011

The Scoping Document frames the debate and asks a series of questions to initiate a dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders on the future direction of aviation policy.

Download documents

Developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation: Scoping document (375 kb)

Reply to consultation by Email: aviation.policyframework@dft.gov.uk

Or by Post:

Aviation Policy Framework
Department for Transport
Great Minster House (1/24)

76 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DR

SEMA meeting - 2nd June 7.30pm

2011-05-31T14:50:00.002+01:00

Join SEMA for a public meeting this Thursday and Benchill Community Centre.
It will be an opportunity to find out what the airport's plans are, how it will affect local communities and how to move forwards.

For more information or to contribute to the agenda contact manchesterairportontrial@gmail.com

The Camp at the End of The Runway 27th-29th May

2011-05-26T16:11:00.008+01:00

Just as the airport thought that the trial had ended and they were in for a quite summer, Manchester Airport on Trial in conjunction with Manchester Climate Action have swung into action fo organise a weekend of camping, exploring and workshops down at the airport!

From Friday the 27th May to Sunday 29th May a temporary camp will be set up in the woods, with the opportunity to meet other campaigners, local residents, and find out more about the airport's expansion plans.

Meet 5.30pm at Piccadilly Station 27th May, or at 6pm outside Manchester Central Library for Critical Mass. We will go straight to the camp from Critical Mass.

Alternate meet time: 11am Heald Green Station Sat 28th May for the walk and cycle caravan.

Some hot (vegan) food will be provided for both evenings and breakfast will be sorted too!

What else to bring:
Bike (walkers welcome too, but cycling will be easier)
Decorations for your bike
Camping Kit
Food- Lunch for Saturday

For further info, to find out where we are or get in contact call 07415 940903 or email manchesterairportontrial@gmail.com

See you in the woods!

Timetable for the weekend

Friday
5.30pm Meet at Piccadilly Station
6.00pm Meet outside Manchester Central Library for Critical Mass (Cyclists)
7.00pm Depart Critical Mass for the camp
8.30pm Dinner and set up camp
9pm Introduction to the weekend, introductions and stories. Film showing

Saturday
Yoga first thing in the morning
9 am Breakfast
11.00 am Meet at Heald Green for Bike Caravan or Walk
2.30 pm Walkers and Cyclists meet for at the Romper pub late lunch before continuing on their separate ways
4.30 pm Cyclists meet residents at the Railway Inn, Mobberley
7.00 pm Dinner in the woods followed by social and chilling

Sunday
Breakfast followed by tat down. Maybe an extra walk. Lifts to the station can be provided if necessary

Manchester Airport – it’s not for the birds

2011-05-26T10:58:00.000+01:00

Over 100 employees at Manchester Airport have been given allotment plots, on the outskirts of the airport site, but still only a few hundred metres from the main runway. But the range of food that they can grow is restricted, fruit, or any other plant which might attract birds, is banned. Birds and airports are fundamentally incompatible. Bird strikes, aircraft collisions with birds, can endanger the flights, and are inevitably fatal for the birds as they are minced up in the plane’s engines. In the UK, 1,299 bird strikes were reported to the CAA Civil Aviation Authority in 2007.

On 29th April 2007, a Thomson Fly Boeing 757 with 221 passengers on board took off from Manchester airport on a flight to Lanzarote. Seconds after take-off two birds were sucked into the aircraft’s right engine. After dumping excess fuel the pilot retuned to the airport and made a safe landing using one engine. In this video you can see a bird being sucked into the engine, and the resulting fire. Fortunately the pilot was able to make a safe landing. Bird strikes can appear dramatic with the engines catching fire, but aircraft are designed to withstand this and few incidents result in serious accidents. Between 1988 and 2000, nearly 200 people were killed worldwide as a result of wildlife strikes. This is a small proportion of total air fatalities, which totalled 502 in 2008 alone.

All airports manage habitats on and around the site, in order to make the environment unattractive to birds, removing food sources including edible plants and grasses and shrubs which are habitats for worms and insects, treatment of grass along runways with insecticides and removal of shrubs and any other areas which could be used for nesting. But airports can still prove attractive for birds as the surrounding land is often undeveloped. In 2007 a seagull made a nest and incubated eggs on roof of a car in the long stay car park at Inverness Airport.

When habitat management fails to keep birds away, airports use a variety of methods to frighten them away from runways and flightpaths. Loud noises such as sirens, explosives, firearms and the distress calls of target species are played, and Manchester is one of many airports which uses falcons to chase smaller birds away. Birds can prove remarkably adaptable to all these attempts to frighten them away. When this occurs birds might be relocated, recently a flock of swans was relocated from the Docklands near London City Airport to the town of Windsor in Berkshire. But, frequently, birds which might endanger flights are killed, their eggs destroyed and their nests removed. In 2009, Manchester Airport was preparing for a cull of 800 rooks, one of the largest rookeries in Greater Manchester, in woodland near the airfield, where they had lived there for 300 years. There was a reprieve after an outcry and opposition from residents, bird watchers and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 180 people signed a petition opposing the cull.

Posted by Rose Bridger

Campaigners remain defiant after Manchester airport protest sentencing

2011-02-22T21:09:00.002Z

At the end of a two day trial 6 campaigners from the ‘Manchester Airport on Trial’ group were sentenced today following pleas of not-guilty to charges of aggravated trespass. They were standing trial for an action last May 2010 where they formed a human circle around the wheel of a Monarch Airline jet, acting out of necessity to prevent the higher crime of climate change.

After an exciting trial where the defence called upon expert witnesses including climate scientist Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research, public health expert Robin Stott, and Heathrow MP John McDonnell amongst others the judge recognised the “sincerity” and “laudable motives” of the protesters, and handed down lenient sentences of 2 year conditional discharges and £310 court costs whilst One defendant received 80 hours of community service.

Although the coalition government cancelled plans to build a third runway at Heathrow, regional airport expansion is still being heavily pursued. In November 2009 Manchester Airport received planning approval from Manchester City Council to expand the World Freight Centre at Manchester Airport and increase passenger numbers by a third, which will result in the demolition of local homes and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Despite a High Court ruling which recognised the incompatibility between expansion plans at the UK’s commitments to emissions reduction targets, Manchester City Council has shown an unwillingness to rethink their plans or engage in discussion.

During the trial Martin Eakins, local councillor for Northenden, described the local efforts to prevent expansion at the Airport. In response to the judge’s suggestion that campaigners would have had a strong case for judicial review of the plans, he explained that they had been refused funding on the basis that their challenge would be unsuccessful. Local resident, Pete Johnson, whose home on Hasty Lane faces demolition, told the court that their efforts to engage with the council and oppose the expansion were “thwarted by politicians with vested interests,” and that he felt “angry, frustrated and cheated.”

This was fittingly reflected in a statement from John Mcdonnell MP, who vocally opposed the third runway at Heathrow.

“When governments themselves so blatantly ignore the wishes of the people they are elected to represent, when they promote the sectional interests of one sector of business above the interests of their citizens, when they deny Parliament an effective role, when they subvert their own democratic planning processes, and when their actions so dangerously contradict their own legislation on climate change, responsible citizens are left with no alternative but to take direct action to further the cause that they believe in.”

One of the most inspiring and reaffirming experiences for the defendants and everyone who attended the trial was hearing from leading climate scientist Kevin Anderson, who spoke out on the aviation industry’s ‘special treatment’, asking;

“Why is it fair that aviation continues to be a special case while every other sector has to reduce their emissions? Every year we have an exponential increase in CO2 embedding us in a future of dangerous climate change. If aviation continues to grow that means we’re heading for 4 degrees, but that would only be a transient temperature on the way to an equilibrium rise of 6 to 8 degrees. A rise of 4 degrees is dire, above that it gets worse and worse- it is a future that we contemplate at our own peril.”

He also highlighted how aside from setting fire to a large pool of kerosene in your back garden, flying was the most carbon intensive activity that anyone can engage in.

Speaking at the end of the trial the defendants released the following statement:

“This is the first action in the north contesting airport expansion, and whatever the outcome in court today, this trial will not be the last.

The court heard from respected climate scientists that climate change is accelerating, and continues to be the biggest threat to life as we know it. Having heard from this, the expert testimony, we are more convinced than ever that our actions were justified and necessary.

We have heard in court today from local Councillor Martin Eakins, and from Heathrow MP John McDonnell that the political system both locally and nationally is failing to address the public health emergency that is climate change.

The court heard that Manchester Airport’s expansion plans are based on outdated and flawed policy. Manchester City Council, who own the airport, have a responsibility to abandon proposed plans and change course while there is still time.
The court heard from local resident Peter Johnson, whose home on Hasty Lane faces demolition in order to expand Manchester Airport. He expressed how efforts to oppose the expansion were “thwarted by politicians with vested interests”; and how he felt “angry, frustrated and cheated” by the system that is supposed to represent him.

None of this evidence was challenged in court, and yet the court saw fit to find us guilty.

As the court heard, civil disobedience has a long and honourable tradition in this country, and Manchester has a proud place in that history. We all have a duty, and a responsibility, and we will continue to act to stop climate change.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported us during the trial, locally, nationally and internationally.”

Aviation expansion= a 4 degree increase; “a future we contemplate at our own peril”

2011-02-21T21:13:00.003Z

At 9am this morning, a real sense of solidarity could be felt outside Trafford Magistrate’s Court. There was a great turn-out to support the six defendants from Manchester Airport on Trial appearing in court to face charges of aggravated trespass charge for forming a human chain around the Monarch Airline jet at Manchester Airport in May 2010. Everyone was in high spirits, mixed with anticipation, despite the drizzling rain. The relaxed atmosphere was slightly tainted by the unnecessary presence of a FIT officer, invasively filming supporters of the defendants as they arrived at court.

By lunch time today the court had heard from defendants Robbie Gillett and David Cullen who defended their actions on the grounds that they were proportionate and necessary in the face of climate change in order to prevent death and serious injury by stopping emissions from the airport. Robbie stated that attempts had been made to engage and meet with local government and challenge the expansion plans through formal routes but they had been ‘fobbed off’. A strong argument was also presented by Dave who successfully challenged the prosecution’s assertion that climate change is still a spilt debate.

Into the afternoon the first expert witness, Professor Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research, was called as part of the defence.

He summed up what campaigners have been saying for years as he questioned “why is it fair that aviation continues to be a special case while every other sector has to reduce their emissions?”.

He then went on to say “every year we have an exponential increase in CO2 embedding us in a future of dangerous climate change. If aviation continues to grow that means we're heading for 4 degrees, but that would only be a transient temperature on the way to an equilibrium rise of 6 to 8 degrees. A rise of 4 degrees is dire, above that it gets worse and worse- it is a future that we contemplate at our own peril.”.

The second witness, Dr Geoff Meaden, was also called to the stand related the actions to both local and international concerns. He spoke about the ‘tipping points’ we are reaching with global temperature rises as well as the increased possibility of flooding in the Manchester area due to changes in weather patterns, and specifically how the airport itself would be submerge by just a two metre flood.

At the end of day one the defendants, campaign and court can be under no illusion that we need to start waking up to the fact that climate change isn’t just a problem for future generations; we are seeing its devastating impacts now. The aviation industry is receiving special treatment in terms of the expansion that is being allowed and financially in the tax break of £9 billion each year it is given, including paying nothing on fuel, while public sectors are cut and the VAT we pay on toilet roll increases to 20%.

The actions of the Manchester defendants are an example of how we might be able to see real change; signing petitions just isn’t enough anymore. We need to start targeting the industries and corporations who are not only dodging tax whilst public sectors are cut, but also continue exploiting our planet.

Tomorrow the defence will continue with the court hearing from local councillor Martin Eakins, who will speak on the democratic deficit in the region, and local resident Pete Johnson speaking about the barriers to pursuing a judicial review against the expansion due to the prohibitively high costs involved.

Come and support the defendants tomorrow or Wednesday morning at 9am at Trafford Magistrate’s Court, Manchester, or send your statements of support to manchesterairportontrial@gmail.com.

www.manchesterairportontrial.org

Runway campaigners to re-unite

2011-02-17T16:19:00.002Z

Environmental activists who occupied tree-houses and barricaded themselves in underground tunnels during the long running protests against the construction of the second runway at Manchester Airport will be re-united at a public event this Thursday 17 February commemorating the 10th anniversary of the opening of the runway in February 2001.

(Original article from the Manchester Mule)

Hosted by activists from Manchester Climate Action and People and Planet, the evening will see veteran activists from around across the country return to Manchester for an event including a photo and video exhibition from the protest camps, displayed at the University of Manchester Students Union.

Merrick Godhaven, 41, who now lives in Leeds explained why he was returning for the event, "There's a radical history of resistance to power, and that history will never be taught in schools. We have to make the effort to make this people's history live, and see that one generation can take inspiration and practical ideas from what has gone before. The present campaign against Manchester Airport is also a source of inspiration to me. Seeing the new generation of activists team up and share ideas with the older one makes us all stronger and more likely to succeed."

Lance Crookes, who was also involved at the time, and who now lives in Northenden said, "Manchester's council leaders were very vocal when they promised that 50,000 new jobs would be created as a result of the 2nd runway but there has been silence since it opened in 2001."

MULE contacted Manchester Airport for a response on the question of job creation, however they declined to respond.

Simon Bradley, 22, from Manchester People and Planet, “The event not only looks at the rich heritage of environmental activism in Manchester, but also provides a valuable opportunity for today's generation of activists to meet those who were campaigning on the same issues a decade ago. With the airport still at the top of the environmental agenda in Manchester, swapping stories and experiences can help us raise awareness and challenge the Airport's dangerous expansion plans."

The event is being organised in the run up to the trial of six climate activists who breached airside security at Manchester Airport last May – temporarily shutting the airport down. The four day trial begins on Monday 21st February at Trafford Magistrates Court. The defendants are charged with aggravated trespass and will plead not guilty.

"Site Battles: Second Runway at Manchester Airport” will take place on Thursday 17th February at 7.30pm at the University of Manchester Students Union. The event is free and open to members of the public.

The Co-operative Bank; good with money or fantastic for aviation?

2011-01-13T13:13:00.006Z

From the Mule - 7th January 2010

Environmental activists have been angered by the news that the Cooperative Bank has taken part in a refinancing deal for the development of Manchester Airport. The bank will provide £40 million over the next 5 years to Manchester Airports Group despite its much-vaunted ‘Ethical Investments Policy’ which includes mitigating the threat of climate change as a central tenet.

The Bank’s policy states, “We will not finance any business whose core activity contributes to global climate change, via the extraction or production of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), with an extension to the distribution of those fuels that have a higher global warming impact (e.g. tar sands and certain biofuels).”

Zoe Creighton-Hird from Manchester Climate Action said, “If their ethical policy states that they won’t finance businesses that contribute towards climate change via fossil fuels then why do they finance businesses that do the same via emissions from aviation? It’s another case of aviation being ignored as a massive contributor to climate change and goes to show that the Coop’s environmental image is an illusion, if they are willing to invest millions into the fastest growing cause of carbon dioxide emissions.”

Manchester Airport is currently responsible for around 5 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year, making it one of the biggest polluters in the North West. It plans to demolish local homes to expands its operations, with the intention of doubling passenger numbers by 2030.

The Coop Travel arm of the business states the following on its website, ”We were the only travel agent to oppose the development of a third runway at Heathrow and we oppose the development of runways throughout the UK unless there is a clear sustainability case.”

The Cooperative Bank’s brand is based heavily its environmental credentials, in particular for its recent active role in opposing the tar sands project in Canada. While its ethical code is widely regarded as being at the forefront of conscientious banking, this move raises serious questions over the bank’s policies.

When contacted by the MULE, a spokesperson for the Cooperative Bank said, “The Bank’s Ethical Policy is based on consultation with our customers and reflects their ethical concerns.”

“Whilst we acknowledge that the climate change impact of various forms of transport are a concern to some people our Policy does not contain an explicit statement excluding finance for air travel related business.”

“We are, however, arguably one of the UK’s leading businesses in tackling climate change, through, for instance, our refusal to invest in fossil fuel extraction and production, procuring virtually all our energy supply from renewable sources and our, as part of our Toxic Fuels campaign with our customers and members seeking to halt the increasing trend towards exploiting fuels with a higher global warming potential such as tar sands.”

The finance deal with Manchester Airport Group totalled £280 million, with six other banks – Barclays, Handelsbanken, RBS, HSBC, National Australia Bank (through its subsidiary Yorkshire Bank) and Santander – providing £40 million each over a five year period.

Day 2 of the trial: guilty verdicts, but the fight continues

2010-12-09T11:33:00.008Z

Amanda Walters and Mark Haworth were found guilty this afternoon, but said that the campaign against the airport will continue.

Today the court heard the defence case, that the expansion of the Airport would have significant impacts on local homes and globally in contributing to climate change. Furthermore, the court heard how other methods of redress had been tried prior to the protest action in May 2010.

In February 2010, residents at Sipson Village – which was earmarked for demolition if the previous government had pressed ahead with plans to add a third runway to Heathrow Airport – joined forces with Manchester campaigners in a ‘twinning’ ceremony – which joined Sipson with Hasty Lane, a row of houses near Manchester Airport currently earmaked for demolition if expansion plans go ahead.

Speaking after the case, defendant Mark Haworth said, “The battle against airport expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick was won because ordinary people came together, joined forces and took on the aviation industry. We’ve linked up with residents in Manchester and Heathrow and we’ll continue to challenge Manchester Airport’s expansion plans.”

Fellow defendant Amanda Walters said, “The judge accepted that our concerns were legitimate and that other means of making our views heard had been tried. Whilst the Council continues to impose expansion of the airport onto local people, we will continue to oppose it.”

A large part of the defence case focussed on the ‘reasonableness’ of the action given that other methods of redress had been explored. The witness statements of Manchester Councillor Martin Eakins and Hasty Lane resident Peter Johnson were read out verbatim by the Defence Counsel. In the statement, Eakins described his close involvement in the campaign to Save Hasty Lane, including making official representations to the Wythenshawe Area Committee, petitions and letters to national government.

From Cllr Eakin’s written statement:
“I feel that all democratic avenues were exhausted and I think it is reasonable to say that the only way avenue to achieve carbon reductions through traditional politics in this case was closed.”

In Peter Johnson’s written statement, he described his efforts to prevent his family home from being demolished.

From Peter’s written statement:
“We are now in a position where help and support from other areas in continuing to oppose the decision means that another route must be used if we are to halt this and/or further expansion already proposed or identified by the airport.”

Commenting on the verdict Peter Johnson said,

“I’m disappointed for the individuals who went above and beyond the call of duty – for a cause we should all be worried about. This isn’t just a matter of concern for those of us living at Hasty Lane – the expansion of the Airport will have effects on the whole of Manchester, and the world too. Sadly, actions like these are seldom recognised as being right at the time, but the fight continues.”

Mark Haworth and Amanda Walters were given a fine of £175 an £250 respectively plus were ordered to pay £460 in costs each plus a £15 ‘victim surcharge’ each.

Manchester Evening News coverage

The end of day one

2010-12-06T20:23:00.003Z

So by the end of day one, the nine defendants pleading guilty, unable to bear the cost of a trial, were sentenced at 1pm today. The court heard how the protest had been a ‘response to a flawed planning process’ and the ‘democratic process being thwarted’. The judge handed out fines of on average £300 each before opening for the prosecution.

Ali Garrigan, from Manchester Plane Stupid, said “Today the defendants have taken responsibility for the protest, been accountable for their actions and will pay their fines. Meanwhile, Manchester City Council refuses to take responsibility for the emissions from the airport by excluding them from its Climate Change Action Plan and the aviation industry gets a free ride by paying no tax on its fuel.”

The trial continues tomorrow and is set to be an interesting day. Amanda Walters and Mark Haworth, the two defendants pleading not guilty, will be asked to tell the court what effects the expansion of the airport will have both locally, such as on the residents at Hasty Lane, as well as internationally in terms of CO2 emissions and climate change.

Local councillor Martin Eakins will also be speaking to highlight the local democratic deficit and resident Pete Johnson from Hasty Lane will talk about the threat to local homes.

Manchester Evening News coverage here.

Manchester Airport on Trial begins today!

2010-12-06T13:46:00.003Z

Day 1

Huge show of support for defendants at Trafford Magistrates Court this morning for the first MAoT(Manchester Airport on Trial). Despite freezing temperatures people from all walks of life including Hasty Lane resident Pete Johnson came down to the courthouse with banners to wish the defendants well. 11 local campaigners are in court charged with willful obstruction of the public highway as a joint enterprise. Nine of the eleven are pleading guilty unable to bear the cost of the trial and two Amanda and Mark are pleading not guilty.

Margaret Westbrook a Trafford resident who came to court to support the defendants said 'the campaigners needed to take direct action due to the devastating environmental impacts of expanding Manchester Airport', she said 'it was a reasonable use non violent direct action to protest against the demolition of local homes and rising emissions especially since they have tried every other political avenue'.

Anne Power another Trafford resident expressed her dismay 'that people are so focused on the business side of the airport expansion and little thought is given to the homes that have to be knocked down or the biodiversity that will be lost.'

The campaigners believe the wreck less expansion of Manchester airport and the effects this is having on the local community and undermining our efforts to tackle climate change are worth risking legal sanctions. Their actions were further justified by the fact that official decision making channels had been exhausted and proven to be ineffective.

Nellie drops in on City Council’s climate change conference

2010-12-03T17:03:00.009Z

On Tuesday 30th November, a cold and snowy morning, campaigners from Manchester Climate Action took a giant white elephant (lovingly named Nellie) to greet the public and organisations attending Manchester City Council's Climate Change stakeholder conference at the Museum of Science and Industry.

The first annual stakeholder conference aimed to engage with residents and businesses of Manchester about reducing their emissions. It was an initiative which came off the back of the council’s Climate Change Action Plan, named ‘Manchester: A Certain Furture’ (MACF), which was published in 2009 and took some important first steps towards considering the impact of our lives and industries on the environment.

Most significantly, MACF set targets for the city to reduce emissions 41% by 2020. However, as this commitment doesn’t include the flight emissions from Manchester Airport (55% owed by the city council and the regions biggest source of emissions) it seems a little feeble.

So the airport is still the council’s ‘elephant in the room’, and Nellie assisted campaigners in highlighting this, and embarrassing the city council. Everyone attending the conference, including the airport’s biggest supporter Councillor Richard Leese, was handed flyers explaining the elephant and detailing the councils omission of the airport from its climate change plan, as well as its plans to drastically expand over the next 30 years and demolish local homes to do so. Campaigners received a warm reception from both those attending the conference and staff at the museum who express their concerns about the council’s attitude towards the airport.

Sarah Thomas from Manchester Climate Action said “Although the city council are engaging with climate change and intends for the airport to be carbon neutral within the next two years this does not include the emissions from flights taking off or landing at the airport. Our concern is that if the council supports the airport in going ahead with plans to increase flights from 30 million flights a year to 50 million by 2030 then any emission reduction achieved elsewhere will be outweighed. Essentially residents and businesses in the city will be cutting their emissions in order for the airport to increase theirs.”

The event succeeding in getting new people and organisations discussing their emissions reduction plans - as well as the creative delivery of some of the six parallel workshops that happened throughout the day.

The protest was raised in a Mule interview with Councillor Nigel Murphy, Executive for the Environment at Manchester City Council:

MULE: The protestors in the lobby complaining that you’re ignoring the airport, do they have a point that you can’t really make a climate change plan for Manchester without considering the impact which the planes taking off from the airport have?

Nigel Murhy: We’ve never said that we don’t consider the effects but we’re trying to deliver where we can make change. As an organisation the airport are doing their own delivery plan. Airside emissions are not something we can change on our own in Manchester, there has to be an international agreement. More than happy for them to protest, but we’ve got to look at what we can change and what we can change now.

Nellie’s appearance at the conference took place just a week before 11 activists from Manchester Plane Stupid stand trial at Trafford Magistrates Court following their involvement in shutting down the airport in May 2010 in order to draw attention to the council’s plans to allow Manchester Airport to expand at the expense of demolishing local homes and destroying areas of important biodiversity. Their hearing begins on Monday 6th December 2010 and is expected to last one week.

A campaign titled ‘Manchester Airport on Trial’ is being run around the court trial and has received support from Heathrow Labour MP John McDonnell, Johann Hari, writer and journalist for the Independent, and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. The campaign is playing an important role in highlighting to both the airport and council that people from all sectors of society are concerned about the planned expansion, and also that direct action is being increasing recognised as a legitimate way of opposing the plans due to the lack of effective democratic avenues.

Manchester Evening News coverage 'Jumbo protest at Manchester Airport's cargo centre plans'

£100,000 payout as Manchester Airport runway hits value of houses

2010-11-13T11:24:00.003Z

From Manchester Evening News - Friday 12th November 2010

By John Scheerhout

Two families have been awarded more than £100,000 compensation from Manchester Airport after being plagued by plane noise.

The couples took the airport to the Royal Courts of Justice in London claiming their lives were ruined by jets using the second runway, which opened in 2001.

And a judge ruled the value of their homes had been slashed since runway two opened.

Retired builders’ merchants Andrew and Annette Spark, who live in an Edwardian semi in Mobberley, were awarded £40,000.

After the ruling, Mrs Spark, said: “At times it’s an aerial bombardment.”

Their neighbours, Adrian and Kathleen Robertson, were awarded £72,500 after telling how the windows of their 19th century farmhouse are rattled by passing planes and it was impossible to hold a conversation in the garden.

The couples took the airport to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) of the Royal Courts where judge Andrew Trott said their account of vibration, fumes and ‘discharge of substances’ was not exaggerated and their evidence was ‘balanced and reasonable’.

Without the second runway, the Sparks’ home would be worth £515,000 and the Robertsons’ farmhouse £725,000, the judge ruled – 7.8per cent and 10pc respectively more than their current market value.

An airport spokesman said: “These were the only two of several hundred claims that were not settled by agreement. The claimants took their cases to the Lands Tribunal who have awarded them compensation and this award is in line with our own expert assessment.”

Manchester Plane Stupid plead not guilty to airport protest charge

2010-10-05T18:02:00.006+01:00

Six Manchester residents from the group Manchester Plane Stupid pleaded not guilty to their charge of aggravated trespass as they claim that in the light of Manchester airports contribution to runaway climate change, it was the necessary action to take. The trial will take place on February 21st 2011 and will be the first climate change trial of its kind in Manchester where expert climate scientists will defend the six against the polluting activities of Manchester airport.

On 24th May 2010, the six created a human circle around a stationary plane using arm tube lock-ons in order to keep the plane grounded. The six are challenging the recent decision to expand the World Freight Terminal which will involve the demolition of historic homes on Hasty Lane.

Manchester airport faces continued scrutiny for wanting to increase airport capacity whilst aviation expansion continues to be incompatible with climate change targets across the UK [1]. Following the recent decision to stop expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, the aviation industry is likely to look to regional airports such as Manchester to increase profits. The environmental and social impact of Manchester airport will further be on the spotlight during the trial as all the local councillors around the airport had their unanimous objection to expansion overturned by the Manchester Council Planning Committee in November 2009 [2].

Penny Woodson from local campaign group Manchester Climate Action said, "Despite the threat of climate change, Manchester Airport wants to demolish local people's homes to expand flight numbers and increase emissions. The public are facing VAT rises this January yet the aviation industry pays no VAT at all. With all these injustices stacking up, direct action is necessary." [3]

Another group who simultaneously used tripods to blockade the World Freight Terminal preventing airfreighted goods from being taken in and out have been charged with obstruction of the highway. Those defendants have already pleaded not guilty and will stand trial on 6th December 2010.

Notes for the Editor:

[1] http://www.aef.org.uk/downloads//AW_Regional_Airports_Paper_Sept2009.pdf A Briefing Paper from AirportWatch 'The Expansion of Regional Airports Really a Good Thing?

[2] In September 2009, local Councillors on the Wythenshawe Area Committee vote unanimously to reject the Airport's plans to demolish homes on Hasty Lane to expand the World Freight Centre.

SEMA submission to planning framework consultation

2010-10-05T17:53:00.002+01:00

SEMA made an official submission to the "Core Strategy Pre-Publication
Partial Consultation". This is part of forming the Local Development
Framework for the Greater Manchester region. This is the framework
against which future planning decisions will be made, including airport
expansion plans.

You can see the documents that are being consulted on here:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/3983/core_strategy_pre-publication_partial_consultation

The 'Need for Land' documents exactly details exactly how Manchester Airport is proposing to expand. It's a long read but how individual projects such as expanding the Freight Centre over Hasty Lane are part of a much larger, long-term plan to increase capacity and flight numbers. More flights, more noise, more emissions.

SEMA's submission argues that since the future of national aviation policy is unclear, including the High Court ruling that the 2003 Air Transport White Paper is not compatible with the 2008 Climate Act, it would be unwise for the Council to support expansion plans at this time. It also details arguments about the effects of the airport on jobs and the economy in the North West region.

Link to the SEMA's submission coming soon.....

End Domestic Flights demo at London City and Manchester Airports

2010-09-08T12:21:00.021+01:00

On Saturday 4th September, campaigners from Manchester and London held a joint demonstration calling for an end to domestic flights. There are currently around 38 flights per day between Manchester and the London hubs.

Rally at London City Airport - Sept 2010

The day began with a rally in the morning at London City Airport. Campaigners then travelled through London on an open top bus to Euston where they boarded a train to Manchester. They were greeted off the train at Manchester Picadilly by a group of Manchester campaigners with placards and banners reading, "Trains Not Planes" as well as "Railways Not Runways".

Greeting the London campaigners at Manchester Picadilly train station.

They then joined a larger rally at Terminal 3 of Manchester Airport. Councillor Martin Eakins, Amanda Walters from Manchester Plane Stupid, Phil Thornhill from Campaign against Climate Change, John Stewart from Airportwatch and local Hasty Lane resident Peter Johnson all spoke about different airport expansion issues - including climate change, jobs, direct action and effects on local communities.

Rally at Manchester Airport - Sept 2010

Speaking before the event, Phil Thornhill from Campaign against Climate Change said “As unprecedented flooding devastates Pakistan,record temperatures stoke raging wildfires around Moscow and torrential downpours cause landslides that kill thousands in China - its time we got serious about the escalating threat from climate change before its too late. Aviation symbolises the high-emission lifestyles of the developed world that are threatening billions, especially in the most vuLnerable communities, around the world. We can start to get to grips with the growth in aviation by eliminating the shorter journeys that can be made in other, less carbon intensive, ways.”

Councillor Martin Eakins said, “Aviation from Manchester Airport contributes more greenhouse gasses than all other polluters put together in Manchester. Reducing our carbon output by ending domestic flights would go a long way to making our city environmentally sustainable.”

Some weren't convinced by Manchester Airport's green claims.

After the rally, the group headed to Hasty Lane for some fruit picking with the Abundance Project followed ba an evening party. The fruit was donated to a local community centre in Wythenshawe - showing what positive contributions Hasty Lane can make to the area without being turned into cargo sheds.

NEXT EVENT: End Domestic Flights and Evening Party at Hasty Lane

2010-08-27T18:38:00.004+01:00

End Domestic Flights Demonstration and Evening Party at Hasty Lane
Saturday 4th September 2010
Meet at 4.30pm - Terminal 3 - Manchester Airport

Manchester Evening News pre-coverage:

SEMA, Campaign against Climate Change and Fight the Flights from London
City Airport have teamed up to organise a joint demonstration against
domestic flights on Sat 4th September.

The day will begin at 11am at London City Airport. Residents fighting the
increase in flight numbers will join climate campaigners on a special
chartered train from London Euston to Manchester.

There will then be a rally at Manchester Airport at Terminal 3 at 4.30pm.

Afterwards, join us for an evening party at Hasty Lane where we'll be
picking surplus fruit with the Abundance Project to donate to a local
community centre.

Abundance Manchester is a project which picks surplus or unwanted fruit
from gardens and public trees around South Manchester and distributes it
to local groups and communities.

This will all be followed by food and live ceilidh music with the Fig Band.

We hope you can join us for this enjoyable protest and party.

http://www.stopmanchesterairport.org.uk/
http://www.fighttheflights.com/
http://www.campaigncc.org/enddomesticflights

Manchester Plane Stupid breach airside security

2010-06-30T04:52:00.025+01:00

On Monday 24th May 2010, activists from the group Manchester Plane Stupid breached airside security at Manchester Airport in a protest against the expansion of the airport. The protest involved two groups. The first group of 6 people breached the perimeter fence and created a human circle around a stationary plane using arm tube lock-ons.

A second group used tripods to blockade the road entrance to the World Freight Terminal preventing airfreighted goods from being taken in or out. They have unfurled a banner reading: “More air freight = more climate change. Stop all airport expansion now.”

The group were protesting against the recent decision to expand the World Freight Terminal which will involve the demolition of historic homes on Hasty Lane.

Lisa Jameson from Manchester Plane Stupid said, “This isn't just about airport expansion or rising carbon emissions. This is about challenging an economic system based on the absurdity of infinite growth on a planet of finite resources, a system which prioritises bail-outs for the banks and then makes us pay for it in public service cuts. Capitalism is the cause of the problem, climate change is one of its many symptoms.”

Following the recent decision to stop expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead airports, the aviation industry is likely to look to regional airports such as Manchester to increase profits.

“The third runway at Heathrow was stopped because ordinary people stood up to the government at the time and the aviation industry using a broad range of tactics. Direct action has historically played an important role in creating social change and will continue to do so.”

The aviation industry consistently overstate their importance in creating jobs and their contribution to the economy.

The lack of tax on aviation fuel is costing the UK economy £9 billion per year. There is also a tourism deficit in the North West region of £2.2 billion. That is the difference between what Britons flying abroad spend in foreign countries and what foreign visitors spend in the North West.

Each round of airport expansion is justified on the promise of more and more jobs. In the 1990s Manchester Airport promised to create 50,000 jobs with the second runway – but the actual number was far lower. We need to begin a just transition to a low carbon economy by creating jobs in sustainable industries such as rail and renewables”

Annie McLaughlin said, “Recently, we've seen attempts by British Airways to use the courts to overturn workers' right to strike. We support the rights of all workers to fight for good conditions. It is essential that the changes needed to prevent climate change are not used as an excuse to restrict workers rights.”

McLaughlin continued, “The proposed expansion of the freight terminal makes no sense, economically or environmentally. The existing capacity is not fully utilized and an expansion would simply be a stepping stone to expansion of the airport as a whole, which would be an environmental disaster.”

“With the planet on the verge of climate breakdown it is essential that the real cost of aviation expansion is taken seriously – currently emissions from aviation are not included in Manchester City Council's Climate Change Action Plan.”

Press Links

BBC News - 24th May 2010

The Guardian - on the wider movement against airport expansion - 25th May 2010

SKY news

The Sun - 24th May 2010

The Daily Mail - 24th May 2010

The Independent

Daily Mirror - 24th May 2010

Manchester Evening News

The Morning Star

Crains Business News

PHOTOS on Real Radio website

Key 103 (Manchester Radio)

Sunday Mercury - 24th May 2010

Radio City - Liverpool

Airport International - 24th May 2010

Elephant attends Council meeting

2010-05-21T12:30:00.015+01:00

On 19th May 2010, new councillors were greeted with a giant inflatable elephant at Manchester's town hall. The eight metre long animal was used to remind councillors that Manchester Airport is still the 'elephant in the room' when it comes to Manchester's climate change action plan - as the council have refused to include the emissions from flights in their carbon reduction targets.

Coverage of the action in the Manchester Evening News.

The elephant in the room

Members from Stop Expansion of Manchester Airport handed out flyers to councillors and the public warning that the council's climate change plans are undermined by the omission of the airport - especially considering that Manchester City Council owns 55% of Manchester Airport Group (MAG). Members of the public were also warned of the dangers of airport expansion such as rising carbon pollution and noise impacts.

Above: talking to the public

As Councillors met for the first time since the general election, a trailer bike sound system played a set of aircraft noises as a reminder of what life under the flight path can be like for communities in Stockport and Knutsford.

Above: Aircraft sounds

In November 2009, Manchester City council released Manchester: A certain Future which laid out plans to reduce the city's C02 emissions by 41% by 2020. These calculations did not include the full impact of the airport. The next day the council planning committee approved plans to bulldoze residents homes on Hasty Lane to expand the world air freight centre at Manchester Airport.

A recent report by the Committee on Climate change (December 2009) has predicted that Manchester Airport could become as busy as Heathrow with the number of flights doubling by 2050, leading to a flight taking off or landing every 70 seconds.

Recently, the new Coalition Liberal Conservative Government have blocked expansion plans in London at Gatwick, Stanstead and Heathrow. It seems the Aviation industry will be looking to regional airports to expand their profits.

Zoe Creighton-Hird from Stop Expansion of Manchester Airport Coalition Said, "We're here to say that if we're serious about stopping climate change, then we need to invest in sustainable green jobs like rail and put an end to all airport expansion across the country, not just in the South East."

Alex Fountain from Stop Expansion of Manchester Airport said, "There is a tourism deficit in the Northwest of England amounting to £2.2 billion. That's £2.2 billion more being taken out of the region that being brought in by jobs. The argument that the airport is good for the economy and jobs is unfounded. We need an update assessment of the airports role in the region."

Manchester Airport plans to become carbon neutral by 2015 but this doesn't include the emissions from the flights.

For more pictures of the action click here.

Biodiversity Walk at Manchester Airport

2010-05-10T00:22:00.027+01:00

Sunday 9th May 2010

Around 60 people took part in the Biodiversity Walk organised by the Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport coalition. Local residents and campaigners visited green belt areas threatened by the planned expansion of Manchester Airport to learn about the habitats and species which are under threat.

Manchester Evening News pre-coverage of the walk - Friday 7th May 2010

Knutsford Guardian - Tuesday 25th May 2010

Members of other environmental campaigns around Greater Manchester came along to share their experiences of fighting to protect our natural landscapes from development. As well as a number of homes at Hasty Lane, several important habitats are either scheduled for destruction or likely to be badly affected by expansion plans.

On a family-friendly day out, residents and campaigners were able to see first hand some of the natural beauty still thriving in the shadow of the airport, as well as to learn from the Save our North West Green Belt and Save Chorlton Meadows campaigns about how best to build support and take on a process which too often disregards public opinion and environmental issues.

Manchester Airport has plans to remove areas such as parts of Sunbank Woodfrom the Greenbelt in order to build more carparks and freight sheds.  (Source:  Manchester’s Core Strategy, Manchester Airport Issues Paper, Refining Options Consultation April 2009 - page 8)

The event is a continuation of the 'Adopt a Resident' scheme where campaigners have teamed up with threatened residents at Hasty Lane to help save their homes.

The areas visited included irreplaceable ancient woodlands directly adjacent to the site of planned development. These woodlands are home to a wide variety of plants and tree species as well as animals like badgers, foxes and buzzards. The proposed airport development would drastically alter the landscape in the area affecting for the survival of these woods.

Campaigners also visited an ancient pond which is home to a population of great crested newts, an endangered species found only in north west England. As well as the destruction of habitats like this, development can separate and isolate populations of a species; this interrupts the natural movement of animals and reduces their genetic diversity, harming their chances of survival.

Local biology enthusiasts explained how development has effects on biodiversity beyond the direct destruction of habitats, and how attempts by developers to offset the damage they cause are no substitute for leaving existing natural environments untouched. The areas earmarked for development should be protected by green belt status, but the airport seems determined to have this status removed to clear the way for development.

Hasty Lane resident Holly Johnson said, "This biodiversity walk aims to give people a visual experience of what airport expansion looks like. Not only is it bad for the climate and responsible for knocking down people's homes, it's also destroying beautiful green spaces. You cannot replace a 400 year old ancient woodland by planting some new trees down the road. That's not how biodiversity works."

Biodiversity enthusiast Alison Hunt said, "I never realised what historic and untouched corners of countryside still exist around the Ringway airport boundaries- ancient woodland and hedgerows, historic cottages and farms, tranquil fields and ponds. These hidden gems are now all threatened by the Airport's expansion plans to become the 'Heathrow of the North'."

High Court rules against the government's third runway decision

2010-03-29T17:22:00.012+01:00

From the Sunday Times

Sunday 28th March 2010

CO2 ruling may halt new airport runways

By Steven Swinford and Chris Gourlay

CAMPAIGNERS will seek to block airport expansion across Britain following a High Court judgment which criticised the government’s decision to build a third runway at Heathrow.

Environmental groups linked to Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and a string of other airports hope to use the ruling to launch fresh challenges against plans for mass growth in flights and passenger numbers.

The judgment on Friday 26th March found that ministers had failed to take account of new, legally binding targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions when they approved the expansion of Heathrow.

It comes after a two-year campaign by The Sunday Times revealed how BAA, the owner of Heathrow, colluded with the government to build the case for passenger growth.

Justine Greening, a Tory frontbencher who has led opposition to the third runway, said: “This ruling has profound consequences for airport expansion, not just at Heathrow but across the country. The law is there to protect people from overpowerful and vested interests and Friday’s ruling was a victory for the people.”

The government’s case for expanding Heathrow hinged on a seven-year-old aviation white paper. A coalition of local councils, residents and green groups argued that it failed to take into account statutory limits on CO2 emissions that were introduced in 2008.

Lord Justice Carnwath agreed, saying the government’s position was “untenable” and should be reviewed. The judge said: “Common sense demanded that a policy established in 2003, before important developments in climate change policy, should be subject to review in light of these developments.”

Carnwath declined to rule that Heathrow’s third runway should be abandoned, but the verdict could still have repercussions across the country.

At Stansted, BAA has announced plans for a second runway which would see passenger numbers rise from 24m to 68m by 2030. Carol Barbone, the director of Stop Stansted Expansion, said: “Without the security blanket of government policy to rely on, BAA knows its chances of securing a favourable result from a public inquiry are extremely doubtful.”

Activists believe that plans for a second runway at Birmingham international airport, outlined in the 2003 aviation white paper, are now dead in the water. Proposals to increase the number of passengers at Bristol international airport from 6.2m to 10m by 2020, currently being considered by the local council, could now be challenged. Carnwath’s ruling could also scupper the introduction of more flights at Manchester airport, Southend airport in Essex and Biggin Hill in Kent.

It means that proposals by this newspaper and backed by Boris Johnson, the London mayor, for a four-runway island airport in the Thames estuary are now highly unlikely to proceed. However, Manchester city council has already approved plans for its airport to expand to handle up to 50m passengers a year by 2030.

Robbie Gillett, spokesman for the Stop Expansion At Manchester Airport coalition, said: “The expansion plans are based on outdated thinking. This ruling gives us strong grounds to challenge further growth.”

Under the climate change act, Britain is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by an average of 80% from 1990 levels. Ministers denied that Carnwath’s decision represented a setback but said that aviation policy will be re-examined in 2011 when the new climate targets will be taken into account.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Related articles:

Manchester Evening News - "Manchester Airport urged to put expansion plans on hold" - 28th March 2010

"It's not just about airports" - The Telegraph - 26th March 2010

BBC North West Tonight - Monday 8th March 2010

2010-03-11T14:05:00.003Z

BBC News coverage of plans to make Manchester Airport the Heathrow of the North

Manchester Evening News front page exclusive

2010-03-08T10:34:00.004Z

From the Manchester Evening News

Manchester Airport 'to be as busy as Heathrow'
Exclusive by Alice McKeegan

8th March 2010

Manchester Airport will double the number of flights it handles and become as busy as Heathrow is today, the government has predicted.

According to the official forecast, there will be 449,000 take offs and landings at Manchester by 2050 – up from 213,000 in 2005.

It would mean a flight taking off or landing on average every 70 seconds.

The forecast was published in a report to the Committee on Climate Change and has been described as ‘shocking’ by opponents of the airport’s expansion.

Campaigners warned that the surge in air traffic would lead to another terminal being built at Manchester, although airport chiefs denied the claim.

The Department for Transport put forward the predictions as part of efforts to determine Britain’s carbon dioxide emissions. They predict Manchester will be the fastest growing of the four biggest airports in Britain and will overtake Gatwick to become the second busiest. By 2050, it is predicted to handle as many flights as Heathrow does now.

But Heathrow is also forecast to expand, albeit at a slower rate than Manchester, and will still be the country’s busiest airport, with just over 700,000 flights.

Lib Dem councillor Martin Eakins, who has campaigned against airport expansion, said: “Nobody I’ve spoken to was aware of the extent to which Manchester Airport hopes to expand, indeed those I’ve told are both shocked and stunned by the news. The wider community should be consulted as homes under or near flight paths will surely lose their value due to the increased noise and pollution.

“Manchester council, which jointly owns the airport, should come clean and assess the impact these extra flights would cause before pressing ahead.”

Robbie Gillett from the Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport pressure group said: “It’s time to update our thinking about airport expansion. We need to create jobs in low carbon industries and move away from this ‘all-growth-is-good-growth’ mentality.”

The figures are included in a report by the Committee on Climate Change. It warns that Britain’s aviation demand could grow more than 200 per cent over the next 40 years and the number of passengers could rise from 230m to 695m per year.

That would threaten the government’s aim to keep carbon dioxide emissions at or below 2005 levels and put Britain 600,000 take-offs and landings over the target limit.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “We welcomed the report published by the Committee on Climate Change and as an industry pledged again to reduce levels of carbon dioxide emissions substantially in the years ahead. Aviation holds a key role, not only in providing essential transport links that enable economies to grow, but in bringing important benefits to society, the value of which should not be underestimated.”

MEN EDITORIAL - Monday 8th March 2010

Hasty Lane twins with Sipson

2010-02-08T12:58:00.020Z

Residents and campaigners against the expansion of Manchester and Heathrow airports have joined forces in a show of solidarity between both places threatened by airport expansion.

Around 80 people turned out for the launch of the 'Adopt-a-Resident' scheme on Hasty Lane which involved campaigners from across Manchester and across the country pledging to support the residents in their battle to save their homes and that if it came to it – to take direct action against the bulldozers trying to demolish their homes.

Peter Johnson and daughter Holly Johnson hosted the event in front of their house. They were joined by Tracy Howard – a resident from Sipson, as well John Stewart, Chair of AirportWatch, and activists from Plane Stupid.

The day also involved a visit to the nearby 300 year old natural pond and home to endangered Great Crested Newts.

SEMA spokesperson Sian Jones said: "The residents aren't alone in this - climate justice campaigners from across Manchester and the country are backing them all the way."

Hasty Lane resident Peter Johnson said: “Together with Sipson residents, we are going to fight these irresponsible and unnecessary plans. Our local councillors all opposed the plans, but they were overruled. The council has let us down, but we’re not going to give up that easily.”

Sipson resident Tracy Howard, 35, who made the trip up north for the twinning event said: “The story of Hasty lane is a way too familiar story to ours. Local communities suffering from a big airport that is destroying our homes, our health and the climate. If a 3rd runway at Heathrow is built I face losing my home, my job and my grandmother’s grave will be dug up. This is why I have been adopted by a Plane Stupid activist as there direct action tactics could be all we have left.”
PRESS COVERAGE
BBC Website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8502871.stm

Manchester Evening News report

A letter to the Prime Minister..........

2010-01-29T11:30:00.005Z

...from Hasty Lane resident Holly Johnson.

Friday, 20 November 2009

Dear Mr Brown,

My name is Holly Johnson, and I am writing to inform you that Labour has lost mine, my family and my friends vote in the next General Election and Local Election. The reason for this is simple. Yesterday five Labour Councillors approved plans by Manchester Airport to demolish my family home and my neighbour’s home. Manchester Airport proposed plans to build one air freight transit unit and a four lane dual carriageway, which would be built over the top of mine and my neighbour’s houses. I feel that these Councillors have not given enough thought to the devastating loss that mine and my neighbour’s family will suffer, due to the unnecessary demolition of our family homes. The split which was on party lines with 5 Labour members voting in favour, and all 4 Liberal Democrats against. Several Labour members abstained or left the chamber for the vote. By a majority of one, the decision to leave two families homeless was made.

The Labour members who voted for approval, in my opinion, were certainly not voting from an independent or informed viewpoint, they were voting purely on the basis of the Labour hierarchy’s instructions. My local MP, Paul Goggins, has objected, along with other MPs, MEPs, Councillors from all mainstream parties and over 1000 signatures have been collected from across the UK. I think this exposes the Manchester Labour party as the personal thiefdom of Richard Leese, and all those Councillors with an independent viewpoint i.e. the local Wythenshawe Area Committee who voted unanimously to reject this proposal at an earlier convened meeting, were subsequently ignored and therefore the people of Wythenshawe including myself were denied their democratic rights and in my opinion local and grassroots decisions obviously mean nothing to the Labour Party.

I cannot express to you how much these particular plans are so unnecessary at this particular moment in time. I am not against the Airport’s expansion where it is needed; they create vital employment for the local area of Wythenshawe, but the plans which have just been approved are so unwarranted at this moment in time, I am finding it hard to believe that anyone could see any positive aspects or need of this freight unit and dual carriageway. The planning application for the freight unit and dual carriageway which were approved yesterday were revised plans, after the Airport originally had planned to demolish every house on Hasty Lane. The original plans were rejected on 25^th September 2008 by Wythenshawe Area Committee on the grounds that the applicant had not sufficiently justified the economic benefits of the expansion of the cargo facilities to justify the loss of the listed building, Rose Cottage. The revised plans now leave Rose Cottage and The Cottage surrounded by an unsightly air freight unit, the proposed new dual carriageway and a 151 space car park, rather than the beautifully preserved ecology that currently surrounds it. Even though Rose Cottage has been ‘saved’, the applicant has still not sufficiently justified the economic benefits of expanding the cargo facilities, and yet the plans have been approved. I am appalled and see your support along with other MPs and MEPs as vital in our continued fight against this ghastly decision.

Holly's letter reprinted in the MEN

Air freight at Manchester Airport has dropped significantly to approximately half the amount it reached two years ago. These plans were drawn up several years ago when air freight was steadily climbing. At the time, freight reached a peak in November 2007 when over 16'000 tonnes of freight passed through Manchester Airport in that month.

Since then, however, the recession has hit the Airport hard, and it has had 18 consecutive months of declining freight tonnage. Indeed, the worst month this year saw only 6'800 tonnes of freight moving through the airport. This air freight unit will nearly double air freight capacity at Manchester Airport and it clearly isn’t needed. As air freight is still in ‘negative growth’ and has been since May 2008, how long, if ever, will it take Manchester Airport to recover to 2007 levels? If airlines went beyond their allocated limit, they could purchase carbon credits through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Long term, the UK has set a goal of not exceeding 2005 mission levels, regardless of the ETS, meaning that airlines would eventually be prevented from purchasing credits that would exceed their allocation. Even if air freight made a strong recovery, it would need to be kept at 2005 levels by 2050, unless airlines purchase highly expensive credits. Even this is not sustainable, as extra credits will become prohibitively expensive, and eventually prohibited by law. How can the airport justify doubling the 2007 capacity when they know they won’t even be able to sustain a recovery beyond the 2005 levels?

Considering how climate change is one of Labour’s main focuses and will always continue to be, how can five of Labour councillors approve plans which go against reducing aviation emissions and actually put £20million towards helping to increase them? It will prove to be an incredible waste of £20million, mostly made up of tax-payers money, to double air freight capacity which will simply lay empty in the future due to existing legislation. I’m sure tax-payers would be extremely interested and outraged to know that their money is actually going towards helping to increase aviation emissions, instead of helping to ensure an excellent quality of life for our environment and future generations. I am sure instead that the DECC would welcome £20million in order to support their work.

After hundreds of people’s homes were devastatingly destroyed this week due to flooding, how can five Labour Councillors allow two more homes to be unnecessarily destroyed and see two families being made homeless? Surely in any circumstance, you would rather see families having safe and secure homes to live in rather than being made homeless?

Mr Brown, I hope you will carefully consider everything I have written in this letter and I would urge you to support mine and my neighbour’s families, and do anything in your power to ensure that we are able to keep our homes.

Yours sincerely,

Holly Johnson.

Sign the online petition to the Prime Minister here:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/aviation-growth/

Online petition to the Prime Minister RE: Hasty Lane

2010-01-09T14:37:00.005Z

Please take the time to sign this e-petition here:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/aviation-growth/

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to explain how the UK will meet it's 2050 80% reduction in Co2 emissions whilst expanding aviation in line with the 2003 Air Transport white paper.

In 2006, the Centre for Air Transport and the Environment at Manchester Metropolitan University published a report commissioned by DEFRA which calculated that aviation emissions would contribute between 86% and 128% of the country's total CO2 budget by 2050, if allowed to expand in line with the 2003 Air Transport white paper.

Manchester airport has seen its air freight halve since 2007, but despite this Manchester City Council has recently given approval to double the Airport's air freight capacity, demolishing two 200 year old family cottages and a large section of greenbelt land in the process.

We respectfully ask the Prime Minister to explain how the UK will meet it's carbon reduction target by 2050 if airports like Manchester continue to expand.

Sign the petition to 10 Downing Street here

Hasty Lane 'Adopt a Resident' Launch

2010-01-03T19:36:00.003Z

Hasty Lane 'Adopt a Resident' Launch
Sunday 7th February 2010
1pm - 3pm
Hasty Lane, next to Manchester Airport
All welcome.

What will the day involve?

We'll have a grand tour of Hasty Lane, including the threatened houses and nearby wildlife spots. We'll introduce each other and have a live video link up with Sipson village in London. There will be tea, cake and music.

Why? In November 2009, Manchester City Council approved plans to bulldoze people's homes on Hasty Lane to expand the World Freight Centre at Manchester Airport.

Not only do these plans threaten people's homes, but the rising emissions from air freight also threaten the stability of the climate.

But we can stop them. We're inviting you to Adopt-a-Resident at Hasty Lane. Together, we can team up to rein in Manchester airport's climate wrecking expansion plans. Together, we'll also show that if the bulldozers come, they will have to deal with people from across Manchester standing together to protect people's homes and to protect our future.

At the same time, we'll be twinning Hasty Lane with Sipson village at Heathrow. Like Hasty Lane, Sipson is also threatened by airport expansion plans. A third runway at Heathrow would bulldoze around 700 homes.

With residents, supporters, campaigners and activists linking up across Manchester and across the country - we can stand together to protect people's homes and to protect our climate.

For information on the Heathrow Adopt-a-Resident scheme see: http://www.planestupid.com/resident

or contact: manchester@planestupid.com

How to get there
====================

BY TRAIN
-------------------
If you would like to travel down in a group with other people, meet at the entrance to Platform 5 a Manchester Picadilly train station at 12 noon.

Otherwise,

TRAIN + BUS
---------------------
Get the train to Manchester Airport transport interchange then either bus numbers 18 & 18A towards Hale Barns/ Altrincham. Get off at the top off Hasty lane.

OR

take the TRAM to Altrincham interchange and take buses number 18 or 18a towards the Airport/Wythenshawe. Get off at the top off Hasty lane.

BY BIKE
-----------------
There will be a group cycling from the City Centre to Hasty Lane at a gentle pace. All welcome.

Labour isolated in favour of airport expansion plan?

2009-12-03T17:13:00.009Z

On Thursday 19th November, Manchester Council Planning Department approved the demolition of 200 year old cottages,and a neighbouring environmental and historical oasis on Hasty Lane. This to make way for an extra airport freight hanger to double its air freight capacity. Campaigners from the Stop Expansion at Manchester Aiport group were inside and outside the meeting to show their support for the residents. All five votes in favour of the demolition of the 2 cottages came from the Labour Councillors despite the wishes of the local residents, environmentalists and even local Labour Councillors who had previously rejected the plans at the Wythenshawe Area Committee on 22nd October 2009.

Intended Plan for Hasty Lane This very unpopular decision has even been described as "worrying" by the Tories. Marie Raynor, the Wythenshawe Conservatives spokesperson commented that “to allow the demolition of two cottages, the destruction of a meadow, and the removal of a habitat for local wildlife sets a bad precedent. It sends a message to ratepayers, that Manchester's Councillors put the interests of big business before those of the people they were elected to serve.”With the Greens, the Lib Dems, Tories, residents and environmental campaigners opposed to the plans, it seems Labour are increasingly isolated on the issue. A coalition of English Heritage, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit, the Council for British Archaeology, local councillors and residents and SEMA have all opposed the previous plans and Manchester Airport had to withdraw its application to demolish Rose Cottage. The new plan still intends to demolish the buildings, fell the trees and concrete over the pond to build two giant air freight cargo units whilst arguing that the development will be good for the local economy. This renewed assault seems even more damaging than the last and will be met with fierce opposition.

Hasty Lane Now

The decision to go ahead with the expansion of the air freight facilities is in spite of the fact that air freight has been falling consistently for over 2 years. Added to this, it could seriously undermine the councils commitment to becoming a low carbon city. The Councils Climate Change Action plan was launched on the 18th of November, it makes bold commitments to reduce the City's climate change impact by 41% by 2020; it also talks about more green spaces whilst agreeing to build on Hasty Lane an area of biodiversity. Hasty Lane is one of the last parts of the Green Belt left out in Wythenshawe. If the council was serious about tackling climate change would they have made this decision?

Councillors approve plans to demolish residents' houses

2009-11-19T18:49:00.016Z

Manchester City Council Planning Committee has approved plans by Manchester Airport to demolish a row of houses to to build a new air freight terminal.

The nine committee members voted 5:4 in favour of the plans – with the Labour majority voting in favour and the Lib Dem minority voting against.

Campaigners from the Stop Expansion at Manchester Aiport group were inside and outside the meeting to show their support for the residents.

After the decision was made, the residents and campaigners agreed that this was not the end of the fight, and that they would investigate ways to appeal the decision.

There will be public meeting this coming Thursday 26^th October to discuss ways of opposing the Airport's expansion plans. All members of the public are invited to attend.

Manchester Evening News article - here

MULE article here

CRAIN's article here

Our Local Elephant - Manchester Airport

and Save Hasty Lane – Public Meeting

Thursday 26^th November 2009

7.30pm

@ The Bowling Green

Grafton Street, M13 9NZ

With John Stewart (Airport Watch Chair) and Peter Johnson (Hasty Lane resident) and other guest speakers.

Manchester Airport rejected from 10:10 campaign

2009-11-17T12:56:00.008Z

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) have been the first applicant to be rejected from the popular 10:10 campaign, which asks people, business and government to commit to cutting their carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010.

Although Manchester Airport is committed to becoming 'carbon neutral' by 2015, this does not include the emissions from the aircraft that land and take off from its premisies. With this in mind, their otherwise laudable efforts of installing energy efficient lightbulbs, motion sensors and biomass burners can be seen as greenwash deception – an attempt to fool the public that the airport is green, when it is actually far from it.

MAG wants to pass the buck, saying that the responsibility for aircraft emissions lies with the airlines. But with a business plan which aims to more than double passenger numbers to 50 million per year by 2030, it's obvious to everyone else, including 10:10, that the airport is also responsible for emissions by encouraging and facilitating more and more flights.

It is MAG that competes for airlines to use its four airports (Manchester, Nottingham East Midlands, Humberside and Bournemouth). And it is MAG which runs advertising campaigns across Manchester encouraging people to use their airport as much as possible.

Pass the buck

So Manchester Airport is passing the buck onto the airlines. So who will take responsibility for the hot potato of carbon reductions? It seems that the aviation lobby is also keen to defer responsbility.

Flying Matters's chairman Brian Wilson blundered into the debate saying that the 10:10 decision was “the eco equivalent of political correctness gone mad,” and that, “if the 10:10 campaign were serious about making a difference it wouldn’t matter where the emission cuts came from, so long as they were made.”

Clearly issues of climate justice are not prominent in the minds of th aviation lobby. By Flying Matters' logic the aviation industry can carry on polluting as much as it likes so long as someone else - somewhere else, make the carbon cuts so that they don't have to.

Let's take a look at what aviation expansion would mean for the rest of UK economy. In July 2009, the government's Committee on Climate Change reported that if we are to allow airport expansion to go ahead as planned, then the rest of the UK economy will have to decarbonise by 90% rather than 80% to meet the 2050 targets of the Climate Bill.

So everything else that we all use regularly, from electricity for lighting to fuel to heat our homes – everything else will have to make more carbon cuts to accommodate the aviation industry's insatiable appetite for growth. This would push up the cost of these changes, thus penalising essential services to accommodate the luxuries of binge flying, and exacerbating issues of fuel poverty.

Since MAG, won't face up to its responsiblities, and neither will the Manchester Council, then it's time we brought these carbon contradicitions to the table, by placing a cap and then annual emission reduction targets on all the airport operations, including the flights.

Get involved here.

For more info on MAG's rejection from 10:10, see the detailed 10:10 blog here. (Click on the 'Should 10:10 let airport's sign up' link on the scroll down list)

See Guardian article on the subject here.

See the Manchester Evening News article here.

See the Crain's article here.

Next SEMA Event: Our Local Elephant - Manchester Airport

2009-11-13T11:58:00.003Z

Our Local Elephant - Manchester Airport

Thursday 26th November 2009
7.30pm
The Bowling Green
Grafton Street, M13 9NZ
MAP: http://tinyurl.com/BowlGr-Pub

With plans for a third runway a Heathrow looking less and less likely, the battle against airport expansion will need to be taken to regional airports around the country.

Manchester Airport already emits twice the amount of carbon emissions as Uganda and has plans to more than double passenger numbers to 50 million per year by 2030. It is owned by the councils of Greater Manchester but its true emissions of are consistently overlooked and ignored by local authorities in climate change action plans.

It is in effect - our local elephant in the room.

Come along to hear what's already happenening to reign in airport expansion both nationally, regionally and in Manchester.

With presentations from:

John Stewart - AirportWatch Chairman
Liz Snook - Plane Stupid
Marc Hudson - Co-editor, Manchester Climate Fortnightly, speaking in personal capacity

Hosted by Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport group
and Manchester Climate Action

http://www.stopmanchesterairport.org.uk

Call out for Support:

2009-11-04T17:53:00.007Z

Save Hasty Lane and show your opposition to Manchester Airport's plans

Come to the Council Planning Committee meeting

Thursday 19th November 2009

Meet @ 1.45pm outside the Manchester Town Hall (Albert Square entrance)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air freight expansion rejected by Wythenshawe Councillors

Thursday 22nd October 2009

The Wythenshawe Area Committee have rejected Manchester Airport's plans for new air freight sheds at Hasty Lane.

The plan to double air freight capacity at the expense of the historic and important ecological site at Hasty Lane was unanimously rejected due to economic and environmental concerns.

Air freight has halved in two years, and has suffered a constant decline in the last 15 months as the recession shows no sign of recovery in aviation.

Cllr Eakins and Peter Johnson, tenant of one of the threatened homes, made representations to the committee outlining their objections on environmental and economic concerns. The committee then unanimously rejected the plans citing these concerns.

The minutes from the meeting should be available on the Council's website here at some point in the future.

Cllr Eakins said: “As air freight has halved in the last two years, it makes no economic sense to double the capacity when the Airport will never get to use it! Two beautiful family homes and an ecological paradise at the edge of the Airport would be bulldozed if this had gone ahead, and I'm delighted the Wythenshawe Area Committee have seen sense and rejected it.”

The plans will now go to the main Manchester Planning committee which will have the final say on Thursday 19th November.

Rose Cottage Saved - now time to save Hasty Lane from the expansion of Manchester airport

2009-10-19T23:33:00.010+01:00

Wythenshawe Area Committe meeting
Thursday 22nd October 2009
7.30pm

Wythenshawe Forum

The Save Rose Cottage campaign team met with Manchester Airport management in June 09, who said that they were dropping the application to demolish Rose Cottage.

However, they said that the cottage would be brought inside the expanded airport perimeter and wouldn't be tenanted.

In September 09 we were sent new plans that showed that Rose Cottage will now be outside the airport perimeter, and could remain tenanted.

This meant that whilst Rose Cottage was saved, Peter Johnson's home - Breeze Hill, is one of the two to go under the new plans.

The Wythenshawe Area Committee will meet this Thursday 22nd October 2009 at the Wythenshawe Forum at 7:30pm. They will discuss the application and vote on whether to adopt the planning officers recommendation to approve it.

Regardless of the outcome, it will still go to the main planning meeting in November, where the future of Hasty Lane will finally be decided.

To view the application going before the committee: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/egov_downloads/Report_to_the_Wythenshawe_Area_Committee_on_22_Oct_09__Land_adjacent_to_Runger_Lane__Woodhouse_Park.pdf

For more information and campaign history see: The Save Rose Cottage Website

Manchester ID trials go awry

2009-06-25T15:05:00.002+01:00

Manchester Airport is at the vanguard of biometric ID trials that were planned for rolling out across the country, but the programmes have been beset with technical hitches and staff opposition. The airport trialled the UK’s first biometric access control portal for staff, using iris recognition to monitor and control access to restricted areas. The biometric identity cards were to be compulsory for all staff at Manchester and London City Airports. Pilots warned that they would not co-operate with the trial. The ID scheme was quietly scaled down earlier this month, abandoned for existing employees, with only new staff expected to apply for an ID card.

Biometric face recognition for passengers, with five machines at Terminal 1 targeting so called ‘high risk’ passengers, began in August 2008 but has met with technical problems. Initially, the kit was set so that an 80 per cent likeness with passengers’ digital passports. David Lepard writes in The Times that leaked information from a member of staff claimed the machines were throwing up so many false negatives, a 70 per cent error rate, that long queues were developing, so the machines were recalibrated to a 30 per cent likeness. Ron Jenkins of Glasgow University, a leading expert was of the opinion that this would render the machines so ineffective as to be unable to distinguish between UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and actor Mel Gibson, or between Osama Bin Laden and actor Winona Ryder. The UK Border Agency categorically denied that the machines had been recalibrated.

News contributed by Rose Bridger

BREAKING NEWS:CAMPAIGNERS DISRUPT AVIATION CONFERENCE IN MANCHESTER

2009-06-16T15:26:00.008+01:00

Today SEMA got word, a group of campaigners rushed an airport industry conference using rape alarms tied to helium balloons.

The three day conference was being hosted by Airports Council International. The protesters from the group Manchester Plane Stupid entered the Manchester Central conference venue (formerly GMEX) and sent the helium balloons reading 'Happy Retirement' to the top of the ceiling where they remained with the alarms ringing.

This occurred at exactly the time when the industry delegates were posing for a photo shoot for the launch of a new carbon reduction scheme at European airports which will not include the emissions from aircraft.

Meanwhile, other protesters held a banner outside the entrance reading, “Aviation Industry Conference – Climate Criminals Inside”.The conference was suspended whilst house staff struggled to remove the floating alarms from the ceiling.

A member of Manchester Plane Stupid said, “The airport industry is recklessly pushing ahead with expansion plans across the UK and Europe despite all the warnings about climate change. We cannot pursue this growth agenda if we are serious about tackling global warming”

..............SEMA concurs!

Crains Report on the action here

Biofuels are Not the Answer event -------------- Tuesday 12th May 2009

2009-05-18T23:37:00.008+01:00

SEMA hosted an event on Biofuels on with Deepak Rughani and Rachel Boyd from Biofuelwatch.

Rachel Boyd relayed her experience of the effects of agrofuel expansion during her time in Columbia. She discussed the use of bribery and the threats of violence by paramilitaries to push people from their land in order to make way for large-scale mono plantations of fuel crops, rather than subsistence farming for food. She also discussed the cycles of debt that plantation workers fall into as well as the life threatening health hazards of heavy pesticide exposure with little protective clothing.

Deepak Rughani discussed the broader threat that biofuels present in terms of eco-system collapse, especially of the world's main carbon sinks such as in the Amazon. Worryingly, the aviation industry is looking towards biofuels as a way of greenwashing their growth. Deepak cited some test cases from airlines such as Virgin using aircraft fuel from plant matter such as coconuts. He argued that these were little more than publicity stunts given the amount of coconuts that would be needed to run the industry in this way.

Biofuels have already caused rises in world food prices in recent years. Studies show that when we factor in the fossil fuel needed to produce and refine agrofuels, as well as the loss of carbon sinks and potential to absorb, biofuels present little by way of CO2 cuts. If the world continues to pursue this false solution to climate change, it will find itself faced with the threat of eco-system collapse as well as the social injustice of land displacement and world hunger caused by rising food prices. Clearly - biofuels are not the answer.

www.biofuelwatch.org.uk

You can download Deepak's powerpoint presentation 'The Greening of Aviation: Biofuels, the final justification for airport expansion' from the SEMA website soon.

Manchester Airport to become ‘mini-city’

2009-04-28T17:29:00.003+01:00

contrails
Originally uploaded by RoseBridger

Manchester Airport Group has announced that Manchester Airport is to be transformed into a ‘mini-city’ with hotels, leisure, entertainment and conference facilities, along with yet more retail outlets. There will be more cargo and logistics facilities like warehouses, and possibly manufacturing. The Airport has purchased 30 acres from Burford Group, a property firm, at a cost of more than £15 million, for development, which will also extend into the surrounding area.

So, what will all these diverse elements have in common? Manchester Airport City is based on established airport centric developments including Schiphol in the Netherlands, where the airport city concept expands the airport’s role as a gigantic landlord. If this is the model for Manchester Airport City, the new facilities will generate revenues for the airport, in the way as the existing retail and car parking facilities. This keeps the landing and navigations fees down for the airlines. The revenues also help fund further aviation infrastructure growth, such as terminals and runways. Tenants are chosen to boost the airport’s passenger numbers and cargo volumes.

Airports around the world aspire to Schiphol Airport’s role as a gigantic landlord, generating 75 per cent of its revenues from non-aeronautical activities. In addition to what the aviation industry sometimes refers to as ‘airport support community’ of related industries, airports around the world generate revenues from a bewildering range of seemingly unrelated functions. This encompasses golf courses (compatible with airports as the grass can be controlled to minimise wildlife and the risk of bird strikes), museums, theme parks and even what might be thought of as civic functions like schools and hospitals. Even though the facilities form part of the airport’s revenue stream, they can be outside the airport fence and appear to be part of the host community.

If Manchester’s ‘airport city’ plans are similar to others around the world, this development could be central to the airport’s growth plans and future financial viability. According to the Manchester Airports Group, the development of Manchester Airport City will help the airport meet its goals of doubling passenger numbers to more than 50 million per year by 2030, and increase cargo volumes from 166,500 tonnes in 2007 to 250,000 tonnes by 2015. Like many airports, Manchester Airport’s business is declining, with passenger numbers falling by nearly 4 per cent in 2008. Cargo volumes have plummeted month after month, with January 2008’s freight volumes 42 per cent less than January 2007.

News contributed by Rose Bridger

Mancester Council - We must grow the Airport to cut emissions

2009-04-15T00:12:00.007+01:00

In responding to Friends of the Earth's submission to the Local Development Framework consultation, >Manchester City Council argue that it must grow the Airport in order fund a reduction in CO2 emissions.

"The Friends of the Earth (FOE) alternative option is a low growth scenario but with particular emphasis on restricting growth at the Airport. When considering options for the Core Strategy the validity of a low growth scenario was considered but discounted for the following reasons:-

Without economic growth the target to reduce CO2 emissions could not be reached. Growth is essential to fund critical infrastructure e.g. renewable energy networks and to ensure innovation and progress in technology together with retrofitting to achieve carbon reduction in existing development."

We at SEMA have been left scratching our heads at this seemingly bizarre conundrum. An expanding airport will mean even more emissions to cut. Surely we can't grow our way out of the problem of climate change? In any case, >the economic growth argument is routinely overstated by the industry. We look forward to more capers of logic from the Council soon.

Save Rose Cottage Petition Handed-In

2009-03-25T14:20:00.001Z

Over thirty people arrived at the Town Hall on the afternoon of Monday 23rd to voice their opposition.

The campaign describes Rose Cottage as a stunning grade II listed 17th Century dwelling, beautifully maintained by the current tenants, a family of three. It, along with three other properties are situated on the historic "Hasty Lane" on the edge of Manchester Airport.
Nearby is a 300 year old natural pond hosting a colony of great crested newts. It is surrounded by dozens of mature trees and beautifully preserved and balanced ecology. It is an environmental and historical oasis in the midst of heavy modern industry.

The Airport plan to demolish the buildings, fell the trees and concrete over the pond to build two giant air freight cargo units. They argue that the development will be good for the local economy.
A coalition of English Heritage, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit, the Council for British Archaeology, local councillors and residents and others all oppose the plans.

The petition urges Manchester Planning and Highways Committee to reject the airport's application. To find out more, or to sign the petition follow the link below.
Campaign website

Steady State Economics Teach-in

2009-03-25T14:03:00.005Z

On Wednesday 18th March over 40 people took part in the ‘teach in’ organised by SEMA (Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport). Promotion for the event explained that,
“As the international economy begins to re-articulate itself in light of the recent and ongoing financial crisis, it’s time to look at the alternatives to the growth-for-growths-sake economic model.”
The teach-in aimed to help people challenge the idea that we can have infinite economic growth on a planet of finite resources. Mike Prior began by explaining that Steady State Economics is a moral and social issue, as well as an economic issue, so we shouldn’t allow economists to dominate the discourse on how society is run.

The session itself was broken down into three sections: What is Steady State Economics? What are the social and moral issues that underpin it? Followed by a discussion on what we can do in order to support Steady State Economics.

Prior began by debunking some of the myths that shroud this subject. For example, he was not going to talk about freezing the economy as it is right now. Instead, the concept is about re-thinking the whole system; dealing with areas of dependency like fossil fuels, as well as places that need development, such as poverty stricken areas.
The origins of the Steady State Economic theory lie in ‘sustainability’, which existed as a new economics from the 1980’s. The crux of this theory was that every generation should aim to leave behind the same amount of resources that they consumed for the next generation.
For Steady State Economics to work, we would need a new way to measure the success of a society. The measure of GNP (Gross National Product) is currently highly valued by economists, policy makers and politicians alike, but it fails to measure the happiness and wellbeing of a society.

The New Economics Foundation has a lot more information on the short comings of the GNP measurement. They also propose a host of well-researched indicators that should be taken into account when measuring wellbeing and happiness. These include looking at equality of income or wealth, leisure time enjoyed, stability of relationships and job security.
In Prior’s opinion, you are by definition a Steady State Economist if you make an effort to “develop an economic indicator or set of statistics that enable the wellbeing of a society to be measured in a way that would be useful for policy making, from a local to an international level”.
New Economics Foundation website

Authored by Jenny Nelson-EN4M

Green leader lends weight to Rose Cottage campaign

2009-03-10T09:46:00.003Z

Green Party leader Dr Caroline Lucas MEP has become the first national party leader to support the campaign to save the historic Rose Cottage in Wythenshawe's Woodhouse Park.

Dr Lucas, who has campaigned nationally and in the European Parliament for an end to airport expansions and a fairer tax regime for the aviation industry, said today:

"Rose Cottage is an important piece of local heritage, but this is definitely not just a local issue. If Manchester airport increases its air freight capacity, Rose Cottage won't be the only casualty. There will be bad consequences in terms of climate change, as well local traffic generation, local air and noise pollution and resulting ill-health effects.

"The airport will talk about jobs, but the truth is that we can create huge numbers of jobs by greening the economy. Manchester and North West England could become major centres, and even leaders, of the green industrial revolution that Britain urgently needs.

"We could fund much of Britain's economic recovery if we stopped giving aviation its billions of pounds of tax breaks every year, and if we made airports and airlines pay the full costs of their pollution.

"And Manchester airport could start by developing a proper sustainable development strategy. That would mean scrapping plans for new air freight facilities - and Rose Cottage would be saved."

Speaking for Manchester Green Party, Withington parliamentary candidate James Alden added:

"It's completely irresponsible of Manchester airport and other airports to keep driving the expansion of the most highly-polluting form of transport when the rest of the world is trying desperately to tackle climate change.

"We need Manchester airport's surpluses to be diverted away from further airport expansion into sustainable industry. That way we could pump money into new industrial sectors like renewable energy that could sustain thousands of jobs in Manchester."

90 Jobs to go at Manchester Airport

2009-03-04T11:03:00.002Z

SEMA is not revelling in the statements coming out of the airport this week. Ninety jobs to go in the initial wave of redundancies at Manchester Airport. SEMA’s campaign is against reckless airport expansion not against the workers who are in our thoughts at this difficult time. Our campaign is against those bosses with a view to unlimited economic growth at the expense of our planet. We strive to work with unions and workers to develop more sustainable jobs. Jobs which maximise quality of life for all.Over 200,000 people a year are already suffering from the effects of Climate Change due to the ‘go-for-growth’ attitude of the minority. It will be the workers, not the bosses who are hit the hardest by the effects of climate change. These bosses show as little regard for the wages and working conditions of their staff as they do for our planet and this is most evident when they are faced with a choice between their profits and peoples welfare."The City Council agrees that global rates of air traffic growth are unsustainable in the long term" according to Manchester City Council who own 55% of the airport. Manchester Airports is faced with an uncertain future burdened with rising fuel costs, taxation as well as national and international regulations to combat climate change but how does the Council/MAG react? they support the Airports Master Plan to double passenger numbers and will continue blindly on this path once this recession passes.We must move our economy away from carbon intensive industries such as Aviation. We must make that move now rather than continuing to invest in jobs with no futures. The economic arguments put forward by Manchester Airport to expand their air freight facilities by the demolition of Rose Cottage look even more short sighted than ever.http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1099331_90_airport_jobs_to_go

Manchester air freight nose dives

2009-02-27T22:38:00.004Z

Shocking new figures released by Manchester Airport show a 42% drop in air freight compared to the same period last year.
The statistics, published on Manchester Airports' website, show a persistent downward trend of air freight, falling every month since May 2008.
January's figure of a 42% drop is the first time that air freight has fallen through the -40% threshold.

Last week, Manchester Airport CEO Geoff Muirhead CBE, told the BBC that UK air freight has dropped by 30%.
These latest figures show that air freight movements are particularly weaker at Manchester Airport .
This is unwelcome news for Airport bosses who are attempting to steer through a £20m plan to double air freight capacity by building two giant air freight cargo sheds.
Four tenanted properties on the edge of the airport, including a 400 year old grade II listed cottage will have to be demolished if the plans are given the go ahead.

SEMA, Local Liberal Democrats and Green party activists have joined forces with local residents in running a petition and staging a Tea Party protesting the plans late last year.

Wythenshawe councillor and Lib-Dem parliamentary candidate, Cllr Martin Eakins, said "Before we entered recession the Airport was predicting we would need to double our air freight capacity by 2015. Well, these figures show that prediction to be totally unrealistic. Instead of spending £20m on an embarrassing white elephant, we should invest this money in sustainable green collar jobs in the local area."

Manchester Green campaigner and fellow Wythenshawe resident, Lance Crookes, said: "All the indicators show that we have reached peak oil, and as aviation fuel becomes rapidly more expensive this £20m will be a stranded investment, left empty on the edge of the airport failing to return the cash the 10 local authorities had hoped for."

Rose Cottage tenant, Anthony Lowe, said: "Manchester airport continue to advertise warehousing and office space on their existing Freight site; their claims about Job generation are ridiculous, we are seeing right now that simply building complexes for non existent tenants is a pointless and costly exercise - three large empty hotels spring to mind! Their “build it and they will come” attitude is blindly optimistic; look at the number of passengers through terminal 2 since it was built!"

SEMA member and Manchester Green party spokesperson for the Airport, Gayle O'Donovan said: "Whilst were in the midst of a treble crunch: the credit crunch, peak oil and climate change, Manchester City Council are now choosing to support the demolition of a family home and needlessly throw money at a declining industry. Aviation is a carbon intensive industry, so the expansion at Manchester Airport undermines any commitment MCC have made to tackle climate change."
Hasty Lane tenant, Peter Johnson, said: "We as residents will not feel secure until the whole idea of expansion has been dropped and a sustainable plan that achieves assurances for the future of ALL the properties in Hasty Lane is in place!"

Green Building for Concorde at Manchester Airport

2009-02-25T16:32:00.005Z

The ‘greening’ of Manchester Airport will soon take a great leap forward with the opening of a viewing park for a retired Concorde plane, see BBC article Concorde retires to new eco-home. A new building in the Aviation Viewing Park will be powered by biomass from willow grown on the airport site. Rainwater will be harvested and it will have solar panels on top.

Concorde was deafening with its sonic boom as it broke the sound barrier. People on the ground complained about the damage to their eardrums. Concorde was an ecological disaster. A flight from London to New York would burn 94 tonnes of fuel, almost a tonne each for the capacity of 100. It took two tonnes of fuel just to taxi the monster plane onto the runway. Concorde was bankrolled by the British and French governments but could never pay its way.

On 25th July 2000 a Concorde taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris hit a piece of debris on the runway which burst a tyre and ruptured a fuel tank and the plane crashed into a hotel near the airport killing everyone on board, 100 passengers, nine crew members and four people on the ground. Mercifully, Concorde was retired from service in 2003. Yet the iconic plane still attracts fascination, with tours, corporate events and even weddings hosted on the grounded planes around the world.

I suppose the Concorde at Manchester Airport is indeed now green, in the sense that it won’t actually be flying anywhere. The building will showcase some impressive green features, but that does not tackle the core business of Manchester Airport, which is servicing the flights.

The area for the new building was declared a ‘newt free zone’ when a protected species of newt found on the site were moved to a new home. But newts are at risk elsewhere in Manchester Airport’s expansion plans. Nearby, Rose Cottage, a listed building with its ponds providing a rare habitat for newts, faces demolition as there are plans to demolish the site for two giant cargo sheds for growing Manchester Airport’s cargo volumes. For more information see Save Rose Cottage Campaign.

News contributed by Rose Bridger

2009-01-27T00:13:00.003Z

Manchester Council announce their Climate Change 'Call-to-Action'

Manchester City Council announced their 'Call to Action' on climate change last Wednesday 14th January. This stated plans are to reduce the City's emissions by one third by 2020.

"Great!" we thought, surely if the Council owns 55% of Manchester Airport Group (MAG - which also owns Nottingham East Midlands, Humberside and Bournemouth – and are considering buying Gatwick) then surely this 'Call to Action' would have to curtail the Airport's ambitions by 2030?

Alas no. The Council simply washed their hands of this issue. Council Chair, Sir Richard Leese replied that they can't legally constrain the Airport and that if the planes didn't fly out from Manchester then it would probably be from somewhere else, causing more pollution.

Following this logic, extending the airport is the only sensible way to stop more CO2 emissions. Intriguingly two of MAG's directors, Brian Harrison and lord Peter Smith are also Manchester Councillors.

The Council Executive stuck by their plans for a 'Green Airport'. This involves the continued support for the Airport's growth whilst helping it to achieve its aim of becoming carbon neutral. Unfortunately this carbon neutrality will not include the emissions from the planes. Finding credibility in the Manchester's climate change plans is like attempting to nail jelly to a wall -the harder you try, the more it falls apart.

This article is based on a blog from Manchester Climate Fortnightly.

http://manchesterclimatefortnightly.blogspot.com/2009/01/city-councils-call-to-action-eyewitness.html

Also see: Manchester Evening News coverage

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1090944_citys_green_ambitions_grounded

Rose Cottage decision postponed

2009-01-27T00:09:00.002Z

Rose Cottage decision postponed

The decision to delay the Rose Cottage decision has been delayed for the following reason.

The information English Heritage (EH) wanted off the Airport's agents, White Young Green (WYG), has not been sent over.

WYG were supposed to supply EH with either plans that incorporate Rose Cottage within the development (which they have resisted) OR information over WHY they cannot incorporate Rose Cottage within the development.

It's very important that WYG gets this right due to PPG15 - the most important bits being:

"...The Secretaries of State would not expect listed building consent to be granted for demolition unless the authority is satisfied that real efforts have been made without success to continue the present use or to find compatible alternative uses for the building...

...There may very exceptionally be cases where the proposed works would bring substantial benefits for the community which have to be weighed against the arguments in favour of preservation. Even here, it will often be feasible to incorporate listed buildings within new development, and this option should be carefully considered: the challenge presented by retaining listed buildings can be a stimulus to imaginative new design to accommodate them..."

What this delay means

The Airport (or in this case, their agents' WYG), are NOT sympathetic to their suggested compromise, and they left with the opinion that they would simply get reasons why the compromise could not be reached. They said if that's the case, they would continue to oppose the plans.

If WYG are writing up the reasons why they can't compromise, then they have to make sure they are very good reasons, as stated above: unless the authorityis satisfied that real efforts have been made without success to continue the present use or to find compatible alternative uses for the building...

And those are the key words: "REAL EFFORTS". If WYG don't demonstrate that they have put in enough "REAL EFFORT" to incorporate, and we can demonstrate this at the hearing, then under PPG15 they should (in theory) refuse.

If on the other hand, this delay is because WYG can't find feasible reasons why they can't incorporate Rose Cottage into the design, then they may be re-designing the thing, and this is why it's delayed. If this is the case then it may be more than a few weeks delayed as it would require a substantial effort to re-draw the plans and possibly re-consult the statutory bodies (Police, GMPTE, etc).

You can voice your objection to the demolition of Rose Cottage by following the steps below:

Go to: http://www.publicaccess.manchester.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/tdc_home.aspx

The application can be found through application search as

086880/lo/2008/s2

Click on: 'click to view' and then submit your comments

http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/RoseCottage

The Northern Climate Rush

2009-01-26T23:57:00.003Z

The Northern Climate Rush -

(http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/manchester/2009/01/418361.html)

Monday 12th January 2009

Terminal 3, Manchester Airport.

For VIDEO footage see

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1586371503/bctid6995110001

Around 50 climate change activists gathered in Terminal 3 of Manchester Airport last night to protest against airport expansion and domestic flights. The demo mirrored the Climate Rush ‘Dinner at Departures’ protest at Heathrow’s Terminal 1 at the same time.

There are around 32 flights a day between Manchester and the London hubs, despite the high speed rail connection.

The protests at Manchester and Heathrow airports was a follow up to the first http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2008/10/410761.html">Climate Rush on October 13th 2008. This date marked the centenary of the Suffragettes’ rush on Parliament to demand women's right to vote.

The protesters dressed in Edwardian period arrived to find Terminal 3 locked down with around 70 police officers, including Forward Intelligence Teams from the Metropolitan police. They were read parts of the Riot Act before entering a ‘designated protest area’.

Former Manchester City Councillor, Vanessa Hall, who attended the Northern Climate Rush said:

“ With the speed of intercity trains there is no longer any just or sensible reason to take domestic flights. All expansion plans, including those at Manchester and Heathrow should be shelved. Passenger numbers at Manchester Airport have been falling for at least the last 6 months.”

She added, “In a time of recession and climate crisis, government money should be spent on improvements to rail, trams, and buses, not on subsidies and infrastructure for the aviation industry.”

Aviation accounts for 13% of UK global warming emissions and is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases. Airlines pay no tax on aviation fuel, costing the public purse an estimated £10 billion.

Manchester Airport claims it intends to go carbon neutral by 2015 - but this will not include the emissions from the aeroplanes.

Other press coverage

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7823307.stm

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1090071_protesters_slam_police_numbers_

www.climaterush.co.uk

Next Meeting

2009-01-15T16:38:00.000Z

NEXT MEETING - Wednesday 28th January 2009

7pm

University of Manchester Students' Union

Oxford Road - M13 9PR

All welcome.

SEMA meetings are on the last Wednesday of every month at 7pm - provisionally at the University of Manchester Students' Union.

Contact: info@stopmanchesterairport.org.uk

Tea Party Success

2008-11-24T04:40:00.000Z

For Channel M video footage and MEN write up see http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1081365_tea_party_airport_protest

PROTESTERS staged a tea party in the grounds of an historic cottage to show their opposition to plans to expand Manchester Airport.

Airport bosses want to build a £20m extension to the freight terminal on land off Runger Lane, Wythenshawe.

They have applied for permission to demolish Grade II-listed Rose Cottage and three other historic properties nearby, as well as a natural pond and dozens of mature trees.

Chilly

Environmental campaigners, politicians and locals braved chilly winds and rain for the tea party at the 400-year-old cottage on Hasty Lane.

Lib Dem councillor Martin Eakins said: "These plans were drawn up before we entered recession. The arguments for local air flight expansion didn't add up then, and they've lost further credibility since.

"The airport should do the right thing and withdraw these barbaric plans before its reputation is totally discredited."

Committee

The plans are expected to go before the main planning committee next month.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: “Rose Cottage and the area around it have been proposed for airport development since 1974 and we have kept our tenants informed of the plans.

“The long term prospects for aviation freight are strong, and we want to continue to build upon the success that Manchester Airport has provided for our region in terms of economic growth.”

The airport forecasts cargo using its World Freight Centre will increase from the current 166,000 tonnes to more than 271,000 tonnes by 2015. They say both units, measuring 196,000sq ft and 50,000sq ft, would create 60 jobs. The extension is part of the airport's massive expansion programme between now and 2030, enabling it to cope with 50m passengers a year and a huge amount of freight.

Flashmob Success

2008-09-24T04:57:00.000+01:00

M Channel Video:

Flashmob photos 1

Flashmob photos 2

Manchester Politics Society coverage

MEN Report

SEMA Press Release

Over 100 AIRPORT CAMPAIGNERS STAGE FLASHMOB IN CENTRAL MANCHESTER

Over 100 campaigners staged a colourful flashmob against airport expansion
at midday today outside Manchester Town Hall. The group included London
campaigners opposed to the expansion of Heathrow. The flashmob was timed
to coincide with the Labour Party Conference.
At 12.45 precisely the campaigners stripped off to reveal red t-shirts
with the words ‘Stop Airport Expansion’ emblazoned across them. They then
lay down to form the words 'TAKE TRAINS' with their bodies.
The protest marked the public launch of the recently formed 'Stop
Expansion at Manchester Airport' (SEMA) group (1).
Robbie Gillett, from SEMA, said, "It is madness to be expanding airports
when the threat of climate change is hanging over us. Manchester Airport
is already responsible for the same amount of CO2 emissions in one year as
the entire economy of Uganda. More flights at Manchester will mean more
emissions and more noise for local communities."
John Stewart, Chair of HACAN, the London group which campaigns against the
expansion of Heathrow Airport, said, "This Flashmob marks another step in
our high-profile campaign to stop expansion at Heathrow. It also shows how
campaign groups are linking up to oppose expansion plans across the
country."
The flashmob was inspired by similar events at the opening of Heathrow
Terminal 5 and outside the Department for Transport in London earlier this
year.