The issues
Aviation damages tranquillity Photo (c) Stop Stansted Expansion
The Government plans to cater for a huge expansion of aviation. This would greatly harm the tranquillity of the countryside and plague hundreds of thousands of people with significantly increased aircraft noise. In addition it would threaten our commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Although the Government calls for more travel options as part of local transport, it is failing to promote alternatives to flying. Ferry services are being cut back while long planned Eurostar services from the English regions and to popular destinations such as Amsterdam have still not materialised. Meanwhile millions of pounds are being pumped into regional airports in grants and hidden subsidies.
Government supports aviation growth
The Government's Air Transport White Paper (ATWP) of 2003 predicted a huge growth in air travel in the coming decades and sought to provide for it with several new runway and terminal developments. This was despite the results of public consultation – the biggest such consultation ever – showing that the majority of people responding were against the proposals. In particular the ATWP proposes:
- A second runway at Stansted, to be operational by 2012 although even its promoters now concede it could not be built before 2017.
- A third runway at Heathrow, as long as air quality limits are not breached. If this is not possible, Gatwick will have the runway instead, to be operational by 2020.
- Airport Expansion. In addition to the new runways, existing airports across the country have been given the green light to extend runways and build new terminals in what amounts to an unprecedented long-term assault on the countryside.
It seems clear that these proposals are not up for debate despite advances in understanding of climate change and growing public anger about airport expansion. The Government updated the White Paper in a Progress Report at the end of 2007 and has committed to a further ‘refresh’ of its policy by 2011.
It has already indicated in consultation on Delivering a Sustainable Transport System (November 2008) that existing aviation policy will be progressed rather than changed. The new policy proposed for publication in 2011 will be the draft Aviation Policy Statement for Aviation, a new type of policy created by the Planning Act 2008. From 1 March 2010 new procedure created by this Act allows major aviation expansion to be fast-tracked without the need for a public inquiry.
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