Heathrow’s bid for third runway clears key environmental hurdle

Despite Boris Johnson's long-standing opposition to the £18bn project, a key environmental hurdle standing in the way of Heathrow's plans for a third runway has been removed by ministers.

The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has ruled out revising Whitehall's Airport National Policy Statement (ANPS), which is a blueprint for the travel industry which includes a decision to back Heathrow's expansion plans. Campaigners were demanding a rethink of the statement in light of the Government's pledges to tackle climate change. The decision will mean ministers can avoid reopening the debate on airport expansion.

In an open letter published this month, officials said that Mr Shapps would not be making any changes, stating that the ANPS would not have been materially different had it been published after the Government adopted its current stance on climate change. Officials added that it is not possible to gauge the impact of Covid on the long-term demand for air traffic, saying: "It is too soon to be able to determine what the effect of the pandemic will be on the longer term aviation demand upon which the ANPS is predicated." The third runway is expected to cost between £14bn and £18bn but has been on hold as the airport battles with the economic fallout from Covid as well as environmental protests.

In the summer of 2018, Parliament gave its backing to the Heathrow plans during Theresa May's premiership but building work was disrupted by a legal challenge from climate change campaigners. The Supreme Court ruled in December that ministers had not broken the law in forming the ANPS, overturning a judgment by the Court of Appeal made earlier in 2020. Before taking office as Prime Minister, Mr Johnson was an outspoken critic of the third runway. He has not made a formal statement voicing his opposition since entering No 10, however, the Government did not support Heathrow's decision to take the Court of Appeal ruling to the Supreme Court.

Expansion opponents were dismayed at Mr Shapps's decision., chairman of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, Paul McGuinness, said: "How disappointing that the Government has squandered this opportunity to abandon Heathrow expansion, once and for all. And how illogical." From Stop Heathrow Expansion, Geraldine Nicholson added: "Heathrow expansion will not pass the planning stage of the process on a whole raft of issues, so why continue the policy any further now? … This decision is simply delaying the inevitable."

Mandy Peters Solicitors 

Lewisham