The government’s Progress Report on the Aviation White Paper has laid out some major expansion plans for Heathrow and Stansted, prompting a mixed response from those associated with the proposals.
In the report, the government re-emphasised its commitment to a third short runway at Heathrow as well as a second runway at Stansted, to cope with increasing demand and to boost the economic prospects of the two regions.
BAA, which owns both airports, has welcomed the plans and has indicated that a planning application for the runway at Stansted will be submitted next summer. Because the construction of a new runway at Heathrow will be dependent on the guarantee that environmental conditions can be met, further consultation on this project will take place next year.
Stephen Nelson, chief executive of BAA, said: “We cannot turn our back on growth. The country needs new runways to accommodate growing demand for flying. Passengers are already suffering delay and congestion because of a lack of airport capacity. Without new runways London will continue to lose out to Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. That will weaken the heart of the UK economy.”
Opposition has inevitably come from Stop Stansted Expansion, with campaign director Carol Barbone insisting that the government “remains wedded to the past” and ignorant of the fact that climate change is now “the key priority”.
But speaking to the BBC, Clive Soley, the leader of Future Heathrow, observed that the airport is “critically important to the economic prosperity of west London and the Thames Valley” and also described it as “a uniquely valuable asset to London and the UK”.
Much of the criticism has focussed on the environmental impact of building new runways, but the secretary of state for transport, Douglas Alexander, insists that the government has not abandoned its commitment to this issue.
“There has been increasing awareness since the White Paper was published of the need to ensure that the aviation industry grows sustainably. The government has also recognised this as a priority. The progress report confirms our intention that aviation should meet its climate change costs and should limit noise and pollution at airports across the country,” he said.
He concluded, however, that the UK must have the airport capacity necessary to “enhance its economic performance”.
