The problem

The Government plans a big expansion in aviation, which would greatly harm the tranquillity of the countryside, plague hundreds of thousands of people with significantly increased aircraft noise and greatly increase climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions

Government supports aviation growth

In the Air Transport White Paper, the Government indicated its support for –

• A new runway at Stansted, to be operational by 2011/12.
• A third runway at Heathrow, as long as legal 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.