COMMONS ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEE DELIVERS DAMNING VERDICT ON HEATHROW EXPANSION PLANS

22 February 2017

Strictly embargoed until 00.01, 23/2/17

COMMONS ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEE DELIVERS DAMNING VERDICT ON HEATHROW EXPANSION PLANS

Background: The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee said, in a damning report published today, that the Government has failed to demonstrate that Heathrow expansion can be delivered without exceeding legal limits on air pollution, exceeding carbon budgets, or without any details on how any mitigation measures on noise pollution may be delivered.

Rob Barnstone, Campaign Coordinator for Stop Heathrow Expansion, which represents communities around Heathrow, said: “This report is damning for both the Government and Heathrow. It shows that for all their crowing about how Heathrow expansion can be delivered within air quality limits, carbon budgets and with range of mitigation measures on noise, the truth is, unsurprisingly, that it can’t. A third runway is proving more undeliverable by the week.”

This report is published after the Government launched a public consultation on a third runway at Heathrow earlier this month. The consultation ends on 25 May.

Ends.