ePetition details

Airport Expansion

We the undersigned petition the council to rethink its position on expansion of Southampton International Airport in the light of Parliament's declaration of a climate emergency and the 2019 amendment to the Climate Change Act target for zero net carbon by 2050, and publicly state that the Council objects to the expansion of the Airport

Expansion of Southampton International Airport will lead to:
- More noise pollution (5600 local people are already living with levels of noise that are double those recommended by the WHO for airport emissions)
- Increased air pollution (from both flights and associated traffic increases)
- Worse road congestion
- Increased greenhouse gas emissions (inconsistent with achieving zero net carbon by 2050 - flight numbers need to be cut, not increased, to prevent climate breakdown)
- Few, if any, benefits for Southampton residents (we get a worse quality of life to enable more flights)
In addition:
- The promise of low-paid jobs is not enough to cover the cost to us, as council tax payers, of all the above
- Flights from Southampton are decreasing anyway, and if Heathrow is expanded regional airports will lose traffic, making expansion of Southampton unnecessary
- More flights will undermine Southampton City Council's own Green City Charter and make a mockery of the Council's efforts to achieve a low carbon future for our city

This ePetition ran from 08/09/2019 to 03/11/2019 and has now finished.

1573 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

As this petition has reached over 1500 signatures this matter will be considered at the meeting of Council. The item has been scheduled for consideration at the November 2019 meeting.