How many of these people moved into the Heathrow area knowing that there was a busy airport these? It hasn't just been built - it's been there years.

How many of these people, their friends & family and their local economies benefit from the presence of this airport?

How many of these people do not use or have never used air transport for holidays or business?

Does the British Global Hub have to be at Heathrow? There are some really flat, boring, lower populated areas in UK who may welcome the jobs. East Anglia comes to mind.

Stop these whining, hypocritical nimbys

R Bingham, Lauzun, France

Stern says that aviation creates 1.7% of global CO2.

The UN says the livestock industry consumes vast quantities of cereals (enough is fed to US livestock alone to feed 2 billion people), fresh water (as much as 70% in the US) is responsible for up to 70% of the de-forestation in the Amazon (to create pasture) and creates in return 18% of greenhouse gases (this is set to double by 2050).

Aircraft engines are 50% more efficient today and far quieter then 20 years ago. Those on the drawing board are 35% more efficient.

It’s plain sense - planes are not the problem – it’s your beefburger.
To Beryl – Heathrow is an airport running at full capacity. That’s why it has ‘planes stacked up’. It needs a 3rd runway.
Otherwise Schipol airport will takeover as the gateway to Europe and we can sit back and become Europes backwater.

Prav, London,

Find a hill near Heathrow on a clear evening and watch the planes coming in. They are stacked up. Several near misses have occurred in the past. It can only get worse. A crash at or around Heathrow would be catastrophic, especially since Ashford Hospital has lost it's A&E unit, now demoted to a Walk-in clinic run for the most part by nurses. Windsor hasn't got an A&E, Neither has Heatherwood unless you want 2 aspirins, 2 plasters and maybe a couple of stitches if you are lucky.
St. Peter's at Chertsey is already struggling to cope with the extra casualties from Ashford Hospital.
There may be room on the ground for another runway and terminal at the expense of people losing their homes BUT there is no free airspace.
Then of course there is noise pollution. The smell of aviation fuel as planes dump the excess is awful. What does that do to the environment?

Beryl, WINDSOR, England

We know the result is a foregone conclusion, consultation is a sham. What has happened to the government's commitment to reduce emissions, which they are touting round to the rest of the world. Meanwhile we will be encouraging the fastest growing source of emissions - planes.
And, by the time it comes into use, no doubt, something will have been done to reduce flight movements (as climate change will be the major problem), and it will become redundant

Jayne Forbes, London,

Heathrow is already creaking at the seams - the airlines must be encouraged to use regional airports - which will in many cases be far more convenient for passengers. Ms Kelly has not thought out how the gridlocked roads around Heathrow are going to carry all the extra people - but this government never was much good at thinking.

Steve Jubb, Kegworth, UK

I can see long delays as challenges to the Governments plans end up in court. By the way wasn't Gordon Brown talking about reducing carbon emissions the other day by upto 80%. Brown by name Brown by nature.

Stephen, St. Ives, England

Man-induced climate change will have a greater impact on third world countries than UK. By encouraging aviation expansion Ruth Kelly could be said to be institutionally racist in giving precedence to Westerner's holidays over “native's” lives and well-being. In 1807 UK unilaterally abolished slavery in spite of the alleged negative economic benefits.Abolishing slavery did not lead to the economic disaster that the pro-slavers claimed would happen. I see a parallel.

Douglas Johnstone, Battersea, London

Now is the time to consolidate records of all those directly or indirectly in the run way decisions. This will facilitate civil law suites against them when disaster hits Heathrow, or medical research confirms health hazards from aircraft noise. The ministers Name needs to be at the top of the list.

Sandy, victor1a,