DEPARTMENT FOR
TRANSPORT News Release (PN-166) issued by The Government News
Network on 22 November 2007
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.
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Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk