London Southend Airport today announces its ‘Connecting the Community’ commitment – which will set out how the airport will contribute to the community around it.
The commitment, which will include a number of milestones across the coming weeks, months and years, will encompass a formal plan for its environmental commitments, a local charity partner and plans for a community forum that will listen to and engage with local concerns.
The pillars of the commitment ensure the airport;
• Places environmental responsibility at the core of its operations
• Engages regularly with the community on key issues such as noise
• Consistently delivers community benefits alongside a local charity partner
Glyn Jones, London Southend Airport CEO said, “We’ve all been through an incredibly tough 16 months. For us it has meant having to close the airport to commercial passengers for almost six months. We’ve spent that time thinking about how challenging it has been for everyone and what we can do to help the community as we come back stronger as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.”
“The airport has a proud record of supporting the community. It is a major local employer, has a sustainably designed airport infrastructure that uses renewable energy, and has raised thousands and thousands of pounds for local charities. But we believe there is always more that can be done. That’s why today London Southend Airport is also setting out an Environmental Action Plan.”
Its key priorities for sustainable growth are to:
• Progress toward a carbon neutral airport operation
• Ensure air quality around the airport continues to be within government limits
• Minimise the number of households impacted by noise and phase out all aircraft over 85 decibels
• Ensure efficient water use and manage impact on local watercourses
• Play a leading role in supporting employment, education and community care in the Southend area, developing education and skills initiatives to support local residents into work
London Southend Airport is very aware of the impact that aircraft noise has on local people. It is therefore creating a Community Forum, which will include representatives from the local community, and will be appointing an independent chairperson to lead the meetings. That forum will aim to identify actionable solutions and make genuine progress.
London Southend Airport will also be announcing its new community charity partner and be providing details of how the collaboration will benefit people in the local community over the coming weeks.
