Heathrow third runway may be delayed

[21st May 2008]

The building of a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow and a second runway at Stansted airport has been called into doubt by a new report from the SDC.

The Sustainable Development Commission is an independent government watchdog and its report ‘Breaking the holding pattern - A new approach to aviation policy making in the UK’ questions the economic and environmental case for airport expansion.

The report argues that there is widespread controversy over key data on air travel in the UK, including the benefits to the UK economy, its contribution to climate change, noise and air pollution, and the potential for technology to reduce aviation's environmental impacts.

“While we expected to find areas of conflict, we were unprepared for the level of fundamental disagreement over the data underpinning the Government's whole aviation strategy,” says SCD commissioner, Hugh Raven.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport responded: "We fundamentally disagree with the findings of this report. It is simply wrong to claim that there is a consensus that the evidence base is flawed and, as the report admits, the most recently published background data on Heathrow was not even discussed”.

The SDC is calling for a special commission to establish the true benefits and impacts of aviation. But another enquiry would delay airport expansion in the UK. The government was expected to give the green light for a third runway at Heathrow this summer and a decision about a second runway at Stansted is expected soon.

In its 2003 Air Transport White Paper the government also suggested a new runway might be built at Birmingham airport, and the runway extended and a new terminal added at Bristol airport. Edinburgh airport has also been earmarked for a new runway.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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