In October 2016, the government selected a new north-west
runway at Heathrow as its preferred scheme for
delivering new airport capacity in the south-east.
In February a consultation on a draft
Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) was launched,
which set out the reasons for this preference, along with the
mitigation and compensation measures the government expects the
promoter to put in place if planning permission is to be granted.
The consultation closed on 25 May and the work to analyse the
over 70,000 responses is progressing well. I would like to thank
all of those who contributed their views.
This government is fully committed to realising the benefits that
a new north-west runway at Heathrow would bring, in terms of
economic growth, boosting jobs and skills, strengthening domestic
links and – critically – increasing and developing our
international connectivity as we prepare to leave the European
Union.
The timing of the election, in particular the need to re-start
a Select Committee inquiry
into the draft Airports NPS means we now
expect to lay any final NPS in Parliament in the
first half of 2018, for a vote in the House of Commons.
I will provide a further update to the House after the summer
recess on our next steps following analysis of the consultation
responses.
Today (13 July 2017) I am also publishing a response to the
consultation held earlier this year on a new night flight regime
for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. I am fully aware that
noise is a major concern for those living near these airports,
and that night noise is widely regarded as the most disturbing
impact of aviation. While advances in new technology mean that
aircraft are generally getting quieter, the limits governing
night noise at these airports has not kept pace with these
developments.
The new rules we are publishing today will encourage the use of
quieter aircraft at all 3 airports by reducing the amount of
noise these airports are legally allowed to make, and will give
local residents a 5 year guarantee about the level of noise that
they will be exposed to. This decision strikes a balance between
managing the impacts on local communities by locking in the
benefits offered by recent technological developments, with the
economic benefits of night flights.
This decision should be seen as a signal that this government
takes this issue very seriously, which is why we expect a ban on
scheduled night flights of 6.5 hours at an expanded Heathrow. We
will also explore whether there is more we can do – including
considering further legislation – to incentivise the industry
more generally to invest in the quietest aircraft and operate
them in the quietest way.
Strong international links are critical to the future prosperity
of our country, with a world-class hub airport and thriving
aviation sector central to this. We are committed to realising
the economic and social benefits aviation has to offer, while
taking seriously the need to balance this with managing the local
and environmental impacts of aviation.
