The Transport Secretary today (Monday, 25 June) described
Heathrow expansion as the biggest transport decision in a
generation, as he made a five-point pledge to the country.
Ahead of the Commons vote, urged MPs to seize the
opportunity of targeting vital new overseas markets for British
business and creating thousands of jobs.
And he promised any possible expansion would be governed by five
key pledges:
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· No
cost to taxpayers – The new runway scheme will be
privately funded and the Government will work with industry to
keep airport charges down
-
· A
massive economic boost to the country – new
international routes, more than 100,000 new jobs, doubled freight
capacity and benefits of up to £74bn to passengers and the wider
economy
-
· Guaranteed
benefits for the whole of the UK – commitment to
about 15% of new slots for domestic routes, new rail links, and
new global opportunities for regional business
-
· Environmental
protection built-in – expansion to be delivered
within existing climate change and air quality obligations and a
new ban on scheduled night flights
-
· Cast
iron legal protection on commitments – Heathrow’s
pledges to be legally enforceable, with punishment of unlimited
fines or grounded planes if promises are broken
Transport Secretary said:
“This is a momentous vote that has been 50 years in
the making and represents the biggest transport decision in a
generation.
“Successive governments have wrestled with the issue
of Heathrow expansion but never before has Parliament held a vote
on this project.
“At stake are thousands of new jobs and the country’s
ability to compete on an international stage and win new global
trade.
“We can be absolutely clear that this project will be
privately financed and there will be no cost to taxpayers. And
there will be cast iron legal protection to ensure the vital
community and environmental measures are delivered.
“I hope colleagues from across the House will now put
aside party and political differences to take a decision in the
long-term national interest.”
Today’s vote follows a government decision on June 5 to
officially support the expansion of Heathrow through a new
Northwest Runway – put forward in a proposed Airports National
Policy Statement.
If approved, it will see the construction of the first
full-length runway in the south-east since the Second World War.
The NPS sets out how Heathrow expansion would provide an extra 16
million long-haul seats by 2040 – opening up new markets for
British business and in-bound tourism.
And it takes into account public and industry feedback and
recommendations made by the Transport Committee to ensure that
airport expansion in the south-east will be delivered in a way
that is cost-efficient, sustainable and in passengers’ best
interests.
This includes a world-class package of compensation and
mitigation measures to support those affected by the expansion,
with up to £2.6bn for compensation, noise insulation and
community amenities, which could include improvements to parks
and leisure facilities.
These are reinforced by plans for a 6.5 hour scheduled night
flight ban and noise restrictions which will be legally
enforceable.
To make sure the whole of the UK benefits, the Government has
committed to about 15% of slots for domestic routes. While many
of these will be delivered commercially, Government has for the
first time set out that it would use Public Service Obligations
to ensure existing and new routes are safeguarded. This includes
the potential for slots to be ring-fenced and exempt from Air
Passenger Duty, which can save passengers £26 on the cost of a
return domestic ticket.
The Government is confident that the scheme can be delivered
within our obligations under the Climate Change Act, and
development consent would only be granted on the basis that the
new runway is delivered within existing air quality obligations.
