Issue - meetings

Council is asked to:

1.    Consider the findings of the all-party working group set up by the Business, Infrastructure and Growth Committee contained in this report; and

2.    Support the Heathrow Southern Rail link proposal conditional upon:

a)    Trains stopping at Staines,

b)    Evidence that the proposal will not harm Staines Moor nor increase the groundwater flood risk in the area; and

c)    Reviewing and agreeing detailed terms of the Heathrow Southern Rail link proposal.

Council resolved to:

1.    Consider the findings of the all-party working group set up by the Business Infrastructure and Growth Committee contained within the report; and

2.    Approve the recommendation that this Council supports the Heathrow Southern Rail (HSR) link proposal conditional upon:

a)    Trains stopping at Staines,

b)    Evidence that the proposal will not harm Staines Moor nor increase the groundwater flood risk in the area; and

c)    Reviewing and agreeing detailed terms of the HSR link proposal.

Committee is asked to:

1.    Consider the findings of the all-party working group (The Working Group) set up by the Business Infrastructure and Growth Committee contained in this report; and

2.    Recommend to Full Council that this Council supports the Heathrow Southern Rail (HSR) link proposal conditional upon –

a)    Trains stopping at Staines,

b)    Evidence that the proposal will not harm Staines Moor nor increase the groundwater flood risk in the area; and

c)    Reviewing and agreeing detailed terms of the HSR link proposal

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that this Council supports Heathrow Southern Rail (HSR) link proposal conditional upon

(a)  Trains stopping at Staines;

(b)  Evidence that the proposal will not harm Staines Moor nor increase the groundwater flood risk in the area; and

(c)  Reviewing and agreeing detailed terms of the HSR link proposal.

The Committee considered a recommendation from the Heathrow Southern Rail(HSR)/Southern Light Rail (SLR) Working Group about which transport link between Staines and Heathrow to formally support. The Chair of the HSR/SLR Working Group, Councillor Bateson, advised the Committee the Working Group had met a number of times over the past year, and felt that, having considered the proposals before them, HSR proposals would be more suitable for the Council to support as it was less invasive, and would place less pressure on Council resources. However, this support would be conditional on trains stopping at Staines, evidence that the proposal would not harm Staines Moor or increase groundwater flood risk in the area, and reviewing and agreeing detailed terms of the HSR proposal.

Some members of the Committee expressed support for the proposed recommendation as they felt the SLR proposal would have a negative impact on residents near the rail line. Other members of the Committee expressed they did not support the proposal due to its environmental impacts, and impacts on the residents of Stanwell.

The Committee felt that the Council should ask that Heathrow liaise with Transport for London to consider Spelthorne being placed within Zone 6 as part of this project.

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that this Council supports Heathrow Southern Rail (HSR) link proposal conditional upon

(a)  Trains stopping at Staines;

(b)  Evidence that the proposal will not harm Staines Moor nor increase the groundwater flood risk in the area; and

(c)  Reviewing and agreeing detailed terms of the HSR link proposal.