Department for Transport
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Public Invited to Have Their say on the Future of Heathrow
Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, today published the consultation on increasing capacity at Heathrow Airport and urged local people and interested bodies to respond with their views.
The consultation, Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport, considers whether a third runway could be built at the airport, served by a sixth terminal with access to the road and rail network. This would enable the airport to handle around 700,000 flights a year.
In 2003, the Government identified the need for more runway capacity in the South East and supported further development at Heathrow. However this was conditional on strict local noise and air quality limits and on an improvement in public transport access to the airport.
Today's document presents the conclusions from three years of detailed analysis on how the local environmental conditions could be met. It invites views on whether people agree or disagree with this analysis and also on possible changes to the airport's operation. These include options to introduce "mixed-mode" as an interim measure on the existing runways, allowing them to handle both take-offs and landings.
Ms Kelly said:
"Heathrow supports 170,000 jobs, billions of pounds of British exports and is our main gateway to the global economy. But for too long it has operated at nearly full capacity, with relatively minor problems causing severe delays to passengers.
"If nothing changes, Heathrow's status as a world-class airport will be gradually eroded - jobs will be lost and the economy will suffer. London and the UK's nations and regions alike are reliant on the good international connections that the Heathrow hub provides.
"Equally, I am clear that any decision on expansion has to be compatible with meeting tough local environmental tests on noise and air quality.
"I fully understand this is an issue which raises strong feelings on all sides which is why we are making every effort to encourage people to make their views known."
The consultation document also asks for responses to options on changing the westerly preference and the Cranford agreement at the airport which govern the direction from which aircraft leave and arrive at the airport.
Also published today is the report UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts. This explains the Department's passenger demand and CO2 forecasting methodologies and provides the latest CO2 forecasts.
The closing date for responses to the consultation is 27th February 2008. To help maximise public involvement the Department for Transport is staging a series of public exhibitions in communities around Heathrow during the consultation period. Final policy decisions will be taken in 2008.
Notes to Editors
1. The consultation document, further information about how to respond and details of public exhibitions are available on the Department for Transport website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/heathrowconsultation
2. It was announced today to Parliament in a Written Ministerial Statement from the Secretary of State.
3. The White Paper The Future of Air Transport was published on 16 December 2003; the Future of Air Transport Progress Report was published on 14 December 2006.
4. The local conditions which must be met to permit expansion of Heathrow are;
(i) There should be no net increase in the total area of the 57dBA noise contour. This would be measured at 127sq.km which was the size of the contour in the summer of 2002.
(ii) Government would need to be confident that levels of all relevant pollutants would be contained within EU limits, which will apply from 2010. In particular compliance with the mandatory air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide.
(iii) There must be improvements to public transport access to the airport.
5. The Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow was set up in 2004 to consider these details for the consultation. It included experts from the Highways Agency, the Civil Aviation Authority, the airport's operator BAA, the Government Office for London and has drawn on wider expertise from NATS and technical experts in air quality.
6. Mixed-mode means take-offs and landings on both runways. All other UK airports include mixed mode in their operations. Heathrow's runways operate in segregated mode: one runway is used for take-offs at any one time and one is used for landings.
7. Westerly preference (introduced in the 1960s) means that during periods of light easterly winds, aircraft will often continue to land in a westerly direction, making their final approach over London. Its purpose is to reduce the number of aircraft taking off in an easterly direction over London. In 2000, westerly preference was replaced at night by a weekly rotation between westerly and easterly operations (although the rotation is not operated in all weather conditions and Heathrow maintains its westerly preference at night when there are delayed departures).
8. Runway alternation was introduced (in 1972) for daytime operations, in order to provide some respite for local residents affected by arriving aircraft in westerly operations, on their final approach over London. The process of alternating the use of runways for arrivals after 1500 hours (on a weekly cycle) offers residents predictable periods of relief. Alternation was extended in 1999 to cover night operations between 2300 and 0600.
9.The Cranford Agreement is a Ministerial undertaking (given at a meeting of the Cranford Residents' and District Amenities Association in 1952) to avoid using, as far as practicable, the northern runway for take-offs and landings over the village of Cranford, except during peak periods. Subsequently, insofar as daytime operations were concerned, the undertaking became confined to aircraft taking off in an easterly direction over Cranford. It does not preclude the use of the northern runway for landings over Cranford when the airport is operating towards the west.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
