Government delays airport expansion decision
Here are seven things we learned following the announcement that a decision on airport expansion is to be delayed, even if it makes us uncomfortable.
“We can not fall into the habit of simply commissioning new evidence, instead of the Government taking the tough decisions needed at the end of the process”. I hope that we will be. “We should be in that position, yes”.
“Please get off the fixation of a third runway, because it could be a second runway”.
The announcement of the delay was welcomed by environmental groups and local campaigners.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, a Conservative member of parliament, and his potential successor Zac Goldsmith are both prominent opponents of Heathrow’s expansion.
Sadiq Khan, Labour’s candidate to succeed Mr Johnson next May, claimed the government had delayed making a final decision “to avoid embarrassing” rival Zac Goldsmith who has pledged to resign his Richmond Park seat if Heathrow was allowed to expand.
“Business will question whether ministers are delaying critical upgrades to our national infrastructure for legitimate reasons, or to satisfy short-term political interests”.
ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said the delay was “deeply disappointing” and “failure to act will only lead to further significant damage to the United Kingdom economy”.
“It’s absurd that UK Government Ministers are touting “Green Britain” in Paris while beating the drum for more climate changing pollution through a new runway back home”.
Birmingham Airport has argued for a strategic network of long-haul airports throughout the United Kingdom, each supporting the comparative economic advantage of that region, rather than all the focus being on a hub airport.
Speaking at a canvassing event in Purley on Thursday, Mr Goldsmith said: “I’ve not been given any indication of what the Government is going to be doing”.
“But there is this issue around air quality, noise pollution and the environmental impact”. Expansion of Heathrow is backed by business, trade unions, politicians and airlines as the best solution to Britain’s aviation capacity crunch.
British Airways has threatened to end its operations at Heathrow if the government decides to go ahead with the proposed expansion plan, which includes adding a third runway.
“Tonight’s statement owes more to political calculations than genuine concern for the environment or residents who now face another year of blight and uncertainty”, she said.
Heathrow, which is operating at full capacity, says a new runway would add 100 billion pounds to the economy and more than 120,000 new jobs.
“The government will undertake a package of further work and we anticipate that it will conclude over the summer”, Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said in a statement. Many observers see the latest development as a major boost to Gatwick’s ambition to build a second runway.
Business groups have reacted with anger to the government’s delay in reaching a decision on whether to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Expansion at Gatwick Airport is the preferred option for the Royal Borough as it is concerned about the environmental impact that expansion at Heathrow will have and believe Gatwick has better economic benefits.
A sub-commitee of ministers agreed further runway capacity was needed in the South East by 2030. “And now this Government has run into real obstacles”, he said. The commission was set up by the government in 2012 to give an independent view on what should be done about the future of the UK’s airport capacity.