GOVERNMENT MUST REVISIT HEATHROW EXPANSION FOLLOWING LUTON DECISION
PRESS RELEASE
7 April 2022
For immediate use
GOVERNMENT MUST REVISIT HEATHROW EXPANSION FOLLOWING LUTON DECISION
Campaigners from local resident led group Stop Heathrow Expansion are demanding the Government hold an inquiry immediately into the Airports National Policy Statement’s (ANPS) ability to meet climate change laws passed since plans for a third runway at Heathrow were voted on in Parliament in 2018. This call follows the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) decision to ‘call-in’ London Luton Airport’s expansion plans on grounds of climate change (1).
The expansion at Luton for 19 million additional passengers per annum, previously approved by Luton Borough Council, has been ‘called-in’ by the Government who will hold its own inquiry as it holds the power to do so where local planning decisions hold clear or potential conflicts with national policy. Heathrow’s expansion plans would, according to the Department for Transport, cater for around 50 million additional passengers per year by 2040, in the form of around 260,000 additional flights to the current cap of 480,000 per annum (2).
The DLUHC’s Secretary of State, Michael Gove, states that his decision to hold an inquiry is based on “the extent to which the proposed development is consistent with Government policies for meeting the challenges of climate change, flooding and coastal change” and “conserving and enhancing the natural environment” (3).
Heathrow Airport is already the single biggest source of carbon emissions in the UK, emitting 20 megatons of CO2 per year which equates to around 60% of total UK aviation emissions. The CCC’s anticipates that the aviation sector will still be emitting 23MtCO2 in 2050, yet Heathrow expansion – in the form of a third runway would increase the airport’s emissions to 27MtCO2 per year. Heathrow was crowned the second most polluting airport in the world recently (4). Expansion would make it a holder of the number one position by some distance.
The proposed third runway at Heathrow would significantly impact the UK’s ability to meet climate change targets passed since 2019, notably after a vote in Parliament in 2018 which gave general consent for Heathrow to draw up a detailed planning application. The Government’s inclusion of aviation emissions into wider and legally binding targets to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 would mean there would need to be cuts at regional airports if Heathrow expansion went ahead. This advice was given by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) when it provided its advice to Government (5).
Due to COVID, Heathrow put its plans on hold temporarily, but the Airports National Policy Statement, written in 2018, remains in place. It is for these reasons that campaigners believe mean Heathrow expansion must be revisited by Government now, without delay.
Geraldine Nicholson from local campaign group Stop Heathrow Expansion, said:
“If it’s good enough to ‘call-in’ Luton’s expansion plans for 19 million extra passengers, based on Government policy, it is imperative for Government to immediately revisit the Airports National Policy Statement on Heathrow Expansion. This plan would see 50 million additional passengers and was approved by Parliament before the more stringent environmental legislation became law.
“If this does not happen, it is quite clear that there is one rule for Heathrow and one rule for everyone else.
“After decades of uncertainty, it’s time to give local communities around Heathrow peace of mind and bury any idea of Heathrow Expansion.”
Only last week, a scheme to expand Heathrow was reportedly being revitalised. The proposal by Arora Hotels Limited, which still leads to a third runway and destructs almost as many homes at Heathrow’s own scheme for expansion was subject to a fresh lobbying effort by the scheme’s promoter and hotel proprietor Surinder Arora (6).
Climate aside, Heathrow’s ability to finance a 3rd runway is undermined by its £14bn debt. In October 2021, its majority shareholder stated its reluctance to inject further capital into the Airport as it was not obtaining a sufficient return on its investment (7).
ENDS.
Notes:
1. Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities calls in Luton Airport expansion plans (7 Apr 2022)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61017175
2. Heathrow expansion means 260,000 extra flights and 50 million extra passengers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44357580
3. https://twitter.com/The_AEF/status/1511755713609183240
4. Heathrow crowned world’s second mot polluting airport (28 Sep 2021) https://www.desmog.com/2021/09/28/heathrow-found-to-be-worlds-second-most-polluting-airport-in-new-report/
5. Climate Change Committee advice on aviation expansion (page 11), 2021 https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sector-summary-Aviation.pdf
6. Arora revives bid for 3rd runway (27 Mar 2022) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/03/27/ex-baggage-handler-revives-bid-rival-heathrows-third-runway/
7. Death knell for Heathrow’s third runway as Spanish investor cuts off funding (30 Oct 2021) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/10/30/death-knell-heathrows-third-runway-spanish-investor-cuts-funding/