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Home: Non-League Football: General:
Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx)

 


VP
Man City Transfer Target!


Jul 9, 2012, 8:07 PM

Posts: 7141
Location: Bagshot
Team(s): Camberley Town

Post #1 of 12 (1002 views)
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Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) Can't Post or Reply Privately
There's an interesting piece on the Ashford Town (Middx) website regarding proposals for expansion at Heathrow. Not content with resurrecting the idea of a third runway and wiping out a few villages to the north, there's now talk of a fourth runway to the south of the airport which will wipe out Ashford's ground and possibly others - not to mention all the houses that'll have to go.

http://www.ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com/

Hopefully this is just a silly idea that will be dismissed as soon as it's looked at. Hopefully.


(This post was edited by VP on Jul 9, 2012, 8:10 PM)


Ashtree RockBee
First Team Sub


Jul 9, 2012, 8:30 PM

Posts: 1100
Location:
Team(s): Ashford Town (Middlesex), Bognor Regis Town, Brentford

Post #2 of 12 (979 views)
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Re: [VP] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
Amazingly, it seems that the new MP for the area covering Ashford Town (Mx), who's visited the ground previously, is one of the co-authors of the report. Beano's letter in response was magnificent, far worthy of a community-based MP.

***Caroline Barker's picked up on the story, and Gareth / Beano has been shoehorned in for a live interview tonight on "The Non League Show" around 9.00.


eesti7
Reserve Team Regular


Jul 9, 2012, 9:21 PM

Posts: 679
Location: Kent
Team(s): Gillingham, Tonbridge

Post #3 of 12 (926 views)
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Re: [Ashtree RockBee] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
Unfortunate for Ashford Town but looking at the bigger picture I'm sure most people would prefer any expansion around the London area to stay near Heathrow or Gatwick. Certainly seems a more sensible idea than Boris Island.


Richard Watts
Youth Team Star

Jul 9, 2012, 9:37 PM

Posts: 371
Location: South London
Team(s): Dulwich Hamlet FC, Surrey CCC

Post #4 of 12 (895 views)
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Re: [eesti7] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
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Unfortunate for Ashford Town but looking at the bigger picture I'm sure most people would prefer any expansion around the London area to stay near Heathrow or Gatwick. Certainly seems a more sensible idea than Boris Island.
You must be joking. The aircraft noise is bad enough as it is, even where I am at Sydenham Hill. Concorde was the worst. It used to wake me up at 6am if I left the window open. The Heathrow flight paths go right over Greater London. "Boris Island" sounds far more preferable to me.


Ashtree RockBee
First Team Sub


Jul 9, 2012, 9:39 PM

Posts: 1100
Location:
Team(s): Ashford Town (Middlesex), Bognor Regis Town, Brentford

Post #5 of 12 (889 views)
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Re: [eesti7] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
I understand your viewpoint, but you don't live where these MPs want to build. They want to demolish most of Stanwell (population 12,000) and a large chunk of Bedfont, and expand the airport close to - if not next to - the busy A30, near what's left of Ashford Hospital after it was decided to virtually shut down the closest hospital to Heathrow. Why a newly elected MP wants to demolish part of his own constituency is beyond me. There's virtually nowhere else in the area where you could re-house everyone, and every major sports club in the borough would be demolished by this plan. Hopefully it's just conjecture.


stourboy
First Team Star


Jul 9, 2012, 9:56 PM

Posts: 1461
Location: Loughborough Uni
Team(s): Stourbridge FC, Sheffield Wednesday, Barrow Town

Post #6 of 12 (868 views)
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Re: [Ashtree RockBee] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
That's strange, people who buy a house near Heathrow complaining about aircraft noise? Tongue

Hopefully these plans won't come to fruition though!



Last new ground (74): City Ground, Nottingham Forest v Huddersfield Town 19/02/2013
Last game (329): Stourbridge v Cambridge City 06/04/2013


leohoenig
Administrator

Jul 9, 2012, 10:16 PM

Posts: 7561
Location: Outer Cheltenhamshire
Team(s): Cheltenham Town

Post #7 of 12 (849 views)
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Re: [Ashtree RockBee] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
Of course its all conjecture, or at least something we will not see for a long time.
Look at Terminal 5, something that was clearly required to deal with existing passenger numbers, (new runways would have to mean more, or bigger terminals). Terminal 5 was first mooted in 1982 - terminal 4 was not opened until 1986.
The architecht was commissioned in 1989.
Planning proposals were submitted in 1993
A public enquiry sat between 16 May 1995 and 17 March 1999
Planning permission was not given until November 2001.
Construction started in 2002 and took 5 and a half years.

IN the last decade, how many different government decisions have there been over runway 3, (let alone 4).
Don't forget, there is no decision yet to build Runway 3. No planning enquiry has started sitting.
As I accurately promised my Mother, who lives close by, when Runway 3 was proposed, it did not happen in her lifetime.
Runway 4 is unlikley to happen in mine.



Fat AND Pompous.
I was going to list all my grounds for the season, but the moderator said five lines only.
Now blogging at www.leohoenig.com


Runwell
First Team Star


Jul 9, 2012, 11:24 PM

Posts: 2858
Location: East Angular
Team(s):

Post #8 of 12 (793 views)
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Re: [Richard Watts] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
In Reply To
In Reply To
Unfortunate for Ashford Town but looking at the bigger picture I'm sure most people would prefer any expansion around the London area to stay near Heathrow or Gatwick. Certainly seems a more sensible idea than Boris Island.
You must be joking. The aircraft noise is bad enough as it is, even where I am at Sydenham Hill. Concorde was the worst. It used to wake me up at 6am if I left the window open. The Heathrow flight paths go right over Greater London. "Boris Island" sounds far more preferable to me.
Neither sound sensible to me. The only person who seems to want Boris island is Boris himself. It's not even in his territory. Would cost a staggering amount of money, massive infrastructure upgrade, and even then there is the hurdle of a massive bird conservation area in the Sheppey/mudflats area. I doubt it will ever happen. It's been suggested on and off for 40 years (Maplin Sands?). Again, not in my lifetime anyway.



Last matches:
Saturday 18th May 2013
Rochford Town 2-1 Railway Academicals (Southend Borough Combination Premier Division)
Stambridge United 0-2 Shenfield (Essex Olympian League Division 3)

Next scheduled match:
Tuesday 21st May 2013
Frenford Senior v Westhamians (Essex Olympian League Premier Division)


ColtheJock
Youth Team Regular

Jul 10, 2012, 7:56 AM

Posts: 245
Location: Thamesmead
Team(s): Thamesmead Town

Post #9 of 12 (727 views)
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Re: [Runwell] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
I was listening to the Non League Show on BBC London last night and heard this story, then went on the Telegraph website and was looking at the story on there. The aiport expansion saga has been running for years, and it does seem that a new runway is needed somewhere to help with capacity. But surely a third and fourth runway at Heathrow is not the option. As for Boris island, I have been out to the Isle of Grain walking quite often, it would destroy that area, ok it would bring much needed jobs when being built, but not for me.

Also in the Telegraph on Sunday in another section, the Head of Air Traffic Control in Uk said that Boris Island would cause problems with other flight paths, for example into City Airport and even Dutch flights path. I live under the City Airport path and it is ok due to the size of the planes, but then also been out to Heathrow near end of runway and the noise is something else as a big jumbo comes in or takes off.

The Goverment did have an agreement not to consider a third runway again, but this now seems to be pressed and they could make a U turn, not made many of them recently!!!!!

Colin.

www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk



Colin M


Beano
Reserve Team Regular

Jul 10, 2012, 7:56 AM

Posts: 539
Location: Hayes, Middlesex
Team(s):

Post #10 of 12 (727 views)
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Re: [leohoenig] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
You're quite correct, Leo, in that the threat to our ground is not an immediate one.

However, the long gestation period of a project like this creates its own problems. Sipson is still blighted by the third runway, years after the announcement that it wouldn't happen. Should this new plan gain any momentum, it will be impossible for the club to obtain grant funding for facilities because the funding bodies will simply say "we're not paying for something that might be a runway in a few years".

Similarly, while it might be "unfortunate" for us, it would be potentially disastrous for us, Ashford Cricket Club, Ashford Hockey Club, Bedfont Sports and Bedfont & Feltham. Southall would also need a new reserve team base. That's without even considering the residents!

Another reason the club has come out strongly against this is the fact that our own MP has co-authored the report and been quoted in the national press in support of airport expansion. When a man who is supposed to represent you wants to destroy your home, I think you have to respond.


Ashtree RockBee
First Team Sub


Jul 10, 2012, 9:59 AM

Posts: 1100
Location:
Team(s): Ashford Town (Middlesex), Bognor Regis Town, Brentford

Post #11 of 12 (659 views)
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Re: [Ashtree RockBee] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
Sorry, I meant to say every major sports club in the vicinity. No slur intended at all to the other football and sports clubs within Spelthorne.


Andrelux
First Team Sub

Jul 10, 2012, 3:09 PM

Posts: 1042
Location: Luxembourg
Team(s): Brentford (for my sins - obviously done something really bad in a past life

Post #12 of 12 (517 views)
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Re: [Ashtree RockBee] Heathrow expansion & Ashford Town (Middx) [In reply to] Can't Post or Reply Privately
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hyI understand your viewpoint, but you don't live where these MPs want to build. They want to demolish most of Stanwell (population 12,000) and a large chunk of Bedfont, and expand the airport close to - if not next to - the busy A30, near what's left of Ashford Hospital after it was decided to virtually shut down the closest hospital to Heathrow. Why a newly elected MP wants to demolish part of his own constituency is beyond me. There's virtually nowhere else in the area where you could re-house everyone, and every major sports club in the borough would be demolished by this plan. Hopefully it's just conjecture.

(I thought I'd answered)

Anyway: once more and from memory.

Not to me it isn't, although you will need to disconnect your brain to follow the logic.

Spelthorne may be one of the 50 safest Conservative seats in the country, but eliminate Stanwell (where not many people would have voted for Kwasi), and it would have to be in the top 5.

So, if you're a newly elected MP, adding your name to this kind of report seems like a good idea - you are not alienating too many of your voters, and this kind of thing marks you down as just the kind of thrusting, can do individual who might catch the eye of party bigwigs as someone destined for greater things.

However, switch the brain back on, and one realises that anyone following that logic would have to be a half-wit moron.

Firstly, since we do not have a Stalinist society in the UK, arbitrarily bulldozing the homes of 12,000 people and blighting the lives of a hundred thousand or more living upstream is not something that's likely to happen.

Secondly, if an additional runway at Heathrow could create more jobs for the economy, then knocking down and covering with concrete the homes of many of your current employees doesn't seem like a sensible way to start.

Kwasi may have put his name to the report, but I bet that immediately neighbouring MPs (Mostly conservative, but not all benefiting from such a large majority) are not delighted by this. It may not be going to happen, but there's nothing that annoys a voter more than seeing the value of their property tumble.

In sum:

This will not happen.
This has not been helpful.
Kwasi Kwarteng is a half-wit prat


(This post was edited by Andrelux on Jul 10, 2012, 3:26 PM)

 
 


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