This week Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers:

In October 2016, the Government announced its decision that the new runway, to improve capacity at airports in the South East, should be sited at Heathrow Airport.

With many of my constituents in Chesham & Amersham in jobs linked to the airport or its services, together with many travelling from Heathrow for business or leisure, on balance I feel that this should be the preferred option.

A year later, the Government has announced a further, short, public consultation which is running now, until December 19, so I hope that people will also be able to contribute their views.

If you look online at www.gov.uk and search on Airports National Policy Statement you will find details of the consultation paper.

There have been revisions to the original proposals. Having commented at the time that there must be consideration given to improving air quality, since then details of the National Air Quality Plan have been published.

Other changes include setting up a new, independent, noise body. This will be responsible for looking at the impact of noise and is designed to help communities which are affected by, amongst other things, changes to airspace routes. 

Constituents have in the past lobbied me against changes to routes of planes using Luton Airport, so I hope that the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise will be able to help those on whom aircraft noise has an impact.

The Transport Secretary would also have the power to ‘call in’ proposed airspace changes of national significance, for further scrutiny.

There are also proposals about the way that new technology can be deployed to manage our airspace more effectively. This could reduce delays and the need to ‘stack’ planes on the approaches to the busiest airports, as well as cutting aircraft emissions.

The other updated element in the consultation covers information about the expected demand for capacity and aviation services.

More than 72,000 people took part in the first consultation and so I’m sure many people locally will want to have a look at these new proposals, to set out their responses.