Decision on Heathrow 3rd runway delayed till January

4.12.2008   (BBC)

A decision on whether a third runway should be built at Heathrow Airport has
been put back to January 2009, the Department for Transport has said.

A decision on the controversial plans, which are opposed by environmentalists,
had been expected before Christmas.

Airport owner BAA says it is vital if Heathrow is to stay competitive.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said he recognised there were “strong views” on
the issue and he intended to give “proper consideration” to the issue.

Earlier this month in a debate on the issue he said ministers backed the need
for extra runway capacity in south east England in principle but would only approve
the project if strict air quality and noise guarantees could be met.

But he said Heathrow was already operating at full capacity and flights and jobs
would be lost to airports on the continent if nothing was done.

It had been reported the cabinet was split over the issue – the Tories and Lib
Dems oppose a third runway and some Labour backbenchers have called for a rethink.

More than 140 MPs – including 50 Labour MPs – have signed a Commons motion urging
the government to consider the alternatives to a new runway.

In a statement, Mr Hoon said the government had made it clear it supports a third
runway at Heathrow – subject to environmental controls.

He said a consultation into the impact of a third runway had finished on 9 November
and he had begun to consider the evidence, including 70,000 responses to the consultation.

“I share the desire on all sides of the House, and among the wider public for
this issue to be resolved. I am equally aware of the importance of reaching the
right conclusion,” he said.

“I know that there are strong views across a range of interests. I will ensure
that I give proper consideration to the evidence before me and will therefore
take more time before making an announcement to the House, in January 2009.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7764444.stm
see also
 

Timing of a decision on the future development of Heathrow

DfT press release

The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Geoff Hoon): The 2003 White Paper "The
Future of Air Transport" made clear that given the economic benefits to the United
Kingdom, the Government supports the further development of Heathrow by adding
a third runway and exploring the scope for making greater use of the existing
runways, subject to meeting strict local conditions on air quality, noise and
improving public transport access.  

The then Secretary of State, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Bolton West, made
a statement to the House on 8 July 2008 (Column 75WS) which explained progress
following the "Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport" consultation, which closed
on 27 February 2008.   She announced a further consultative exercise as part of
delivering a full equalities impact assessment and the intention to inform the
House of the decision on the future development of Heathrow before the end of
the year.   The further consultative exercise closed on 9 November 2008.

Since being appointed Secretary of State for Transport in October, I have had
the opportunity to hear views from across the House in debate on 5 November and
to begin considering the evidence, including the 70,000 responses to the consultation.  

I share the desire on all sides of the House, and among the wider public for
this issue to be resolved.   I am equally aware of the importance of reaching the
right conclusion.  

I know that there are strong views across a range of interests.   I will ensure
that I give proper consideration to the evidence before me and will therefore
take more time before making an announcement to the House, in January 2009.

Delivered: 04 December 2008
 
http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/speechesstatements/statements/heathrow
see also
Financial Times     4.12.2008
 
New Heathrow runway decision delayed until 2009
 
By Jim Pickard

The decision on the controversial new runway at Heathrow was delayed on Thursday
morning in a surprise move by the British government amid cabinet splits over
the controversial project.

The announcement was due to be made in December but has now been put back to
the end of January.
Geoff Hoon, transport secretary, said in a statement that he needed more time to reach "the right conclusion".

"I know that there are strong views across a range of interests," he said. "I
will ensure that I give proper consideration to the evidence before me and will
therefore take more time before making an announcement to the House in January
2009."

The decision comes after reports emerged of criticism of the project from cabinet
minsters including Hilary Benn, David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Harriet Harman and
John Denham.

While business has fought hard for the new runway to go ahead amid concerns over
lack of capacity at the west London site, there have been fierce protests by green
campaigners and some MPs.

Earlier this year, environmentalists – opposed to the higher greenhouse gas emissions
from a larger airport – scaled the walls of the House of Commons to hang a banner.  
[They actually walked onto the roof, through a door – no scaling of walls! ]

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, said the move was a sign that
the "pro-runway faction" in government was in retreat.

"There’s been whispered talk of a cabinet split for weeks, but now it’s bursting
into the open as more ministers realise that the business case for expansion is
deeply flawed while the environmental case for blocking a new runway is overwhelming."

Mr Sauven said investment should instead be made in infrastructure for high-speed
trains.

Mr Hoon told the FT on Thursday morning that there was a huge amount of documentation
and consultation which he needed to absorb, having become transport secretary
only two months ago.

"It is important that people see that I am going the extra mile to demonstrate
that I have understood all of the revelant issues, " he said.

Heathrow is the third busiest air hub in the world, last year handling 67m passengers
– more than the entire population of the UK.

A third runway would increase its flights by nearly a half, according to Heathrow’s
Spanish owner BAA.

Expansion is bitterly opposed by thousands of west London residents, who resent
the congestion, noise and disturbance caused by the sprawling airport.

Despite Mr Hoon’s insistence that he is keeping an open mind, the transport secretary
has argued strongly that the extra infrastructure is sorely needed.

In a debate last month he said that Heathrow was running at almost full capacity
and desperately needed the third runway, which would take flights from 480,000
to 700,000 a year.

On Thursday he repeated that the government wanted the project in principle:
"The government set out its position in the 2003 white paper, that we are in favour
of the extension."

The transport secretary said he was aware of the concerns over air quality and
noise and would consider these carefully before his final decision.

"I have got to take a legal decision, it is my responsibility under the law to
take, in effect, a planning decision and must weight up all the evidence very
carefully," he said.

Politicians from across the political divide have been trying to force a last-minute
rethink with 140 MPs having signed a motion calling for ministers to reject the
plans.

Local MPs are concerned about the impact on residents with more traffic and more
noise pollution than before.

Gordon Brown, prime minister, recently met local Labour MPs to hear their concerns
amid fears that they could pay for the government’s backing of the project at
the ballot box in the next general election.

The Conservative party says the government should reject the project because
of concerns that it will breach European directives on air quality and noise levels.

Officials have modelled a scenario that sees an expanded Heathrow meeting environmental
limits thanks to ultra-green aircraft. But the technology has not been developed
yet.

Some MPs – including a handful of senior cabinet ministers – believe the project
will make a mockery of the government’s ambitious new target of cutting greenhouse
gases by 80 per cent by 2050.

Others argue the recession will prompt a fall in passenger numbers, rendering
the extra capacity unnecessary.

The Conservatives have urged a policy of scrapping the third runway in favour
of fast rail links to the north, which has not gone down well with some business
groups.

Mr Hoon dismisses this as a red herring, suggesting Heathrow would still be operating
at 97 per cent of its capacity even if new high-speed rail services were introduced.

He has portrayed a future where Heathrow would lose passengers to Amsterdam,
Paris or Frankfurt – threatening thousands of jobs – unless it increased capacity.

The airport already offers fewer destinations than these continental rivals –
but some believe this is not a capacity issue but because airlines have cherry-picked
the most profitable routes.

It has long been assumed that the UK economy benefits from Heathrow’s status
as a hub for passengers travelling between continental Europe and the rest of
the world but opponents say the net benefits are little more than the price of
a cup of coffee per passenger.

However, the aviation industry, led by BAA and British Airways, the biggest operator
at Heathrow, claim that transfer passengers are crucial.

Without them, the scale of the network and range of destinations and the number
of daily services that could be supported on individual routes would suffer.
 
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e821eef8-c1ea-11dd-a350-000077b07658.html