The long-standing practice known as ‘The Cranford Agreement’ has avoided easterly departures off Heathrow’s northern runway over Cranford, wherever possible. It means that when the airport is operating on easterlies, most departures use the southern runway and arrivals generally use the northern runway. Alternation is not therefore used on easterly operations.

Stemming from an undertaking given at a public meeting in 1952, the Agreement was designed to protect the residents of Cranford, close to the eastern end of the northern runway, from the high noise levels experienced on the ground from departing aircraft.

In January 2009 the Labour Government announced it was ending the Agreement, which will substantially reduce the quality of life of Cranford residents. Furthermore, by reducing the restrictions on flight patterns (and distributing noise pollution more evenly), more intense usage of the two existing runways will be possible: expansion by stealth.

I hope that a cross party consensus can be formed in the boroughs affected by the loss of the Cranford Agreement and “expansion by stealth” to work together in re-securing The Cranford Agreement through primary legislation and delegating monitoring/ regulatory powers to the local authorities affected. The report I have just published sets out how this could be achieved by using powers under the 1972 Local Government Act. On Tuesday night the Liberal Democrat Group Alternative Budget will including funding for Hounslow’s contribution to such an initiative.