RESPONSE TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF AIR TRANSPORT IN THE UK NOVEMBER 2002 CONTENTS Page No. Executive Summary 2 Introduction 5 Format of Response 6 Overall Policy 6 The Regions outside the South East 11 The South East and Eastern Region 17 Appendix A 26 Appendix B 28 Appendix C 29 Appendix D 62 SASIG County Hall Penrhyn Road Kingston upon Thames Surrey KT1 2DT Tel: 020 8541 9459 Fax: 020 8541 8051 E-mail: [email protected] Web address: www.sasig.org Air Transport in the UK 1 SASIG: November 2002 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group (SASIG) of the Local Government Association comprises some 75 local authorities that have an interest and responsibility for major aviation issues within their administrative areas. The population represented by SASIG is some 23 million. SASIG has campaigned for many years for a long-term aviation strategy for the UK. Whilst looking 30 years ahead is difficult, it is the minimum time frame over which to ensure that any strategy can show the vision necessary to avoid incremental growth at existing airports. SASIG accepts the Government’s mid point forecasts of 500 million passengers per annum at 2030 as the basis for formulating airports policy, but expects the Government to develop a strategy that has viability for at least another 10 years so as to accommodate higher or slower growth. SASIG believes that policies based on predict and provide do not allow sufficient account to be taken of the need for aviation to meet its external costs. Policies based on predict and manage may both deny the travelling public the social opportunities that they will increasingly demand and deny the economic benefits to the UK. However, the best process is one of predict and plan. It allows for vision to help determine the right course of action. SASIG expects there to be strong, local opposition to any individual project proposed by Government. That should not be a reason for the Government to avoid taking those difficult long-term decisions. SASIG has a range of firm views set out below. Together, they form a coherent and essential aviation strategy. 1 SASIG EXPECTS the Government to maintain its commitment to publish an Airports Policy White Paper that looks 30 years ahead. Anything less will undermine the credibility of the aviation planning process. 2 SASIG COMMITS itself to working with Government in finding a long- term solution to meeting all or part of aviation demand in a sustainable way. 3 SASIG ACCEPTS the Government’s unconstrained forecasts as the basis for formulating aviation policy but feels that UK demand of 500 to 600 million passengers per annum (mppa) should be the planning horizon so that there is no shortfall of planned capacity in the event of the mid- point forecast being exceeded. Growth will not stop suddenly at 2030 Air Transport in the UK 2 SASIG: November 2002 and thus there is no reason to seek a neat fit between the demand forecasts and planned provision. 4 SASIG EXPECTS the Government to use the strength of the aviation industry’s economic driving force to assist rather than damage local economies. 5 SASIG EXPECTS airport growth to be conditional upon enforceable agreements to limit environmental impact to agreed levels, particularly for noise, air pollution and surface access. 6 SASIG ADVOCATES that the Airports Policy White Paper should provide a long-term solution with considerable vision. It should enable the growth of all or most of the regional airports providing a combined capacity of around 200 mppa. It should also provide for a firm capping of the existing main London airports at the capacity of the existing runways, with the provision of a new 24 hour airport in a suitable location to serve the South East. 7 SASIG ADVOCATES the concept of an environmental capacity limit for each airport and that step increases in capacity should only be provided where technological and operational improvements to reduce the environmental impacts can be demonstrated. 8 SASIG EXPECTS the aviation industry to meet “the external costs it imposes, including environmental costs”, as promised in the Integrated Transport White Paper. SASIG also EXPECTS the Government not to sanction growth until there is a clear methodology of calculating and resolving the payment of those costs. 9 SASIG EXPECTS the Government to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that the development of the aviation industry is based on the Government’s own sustainability agenda. 10 SASIG EXPECTS the Government to ensure that a national aviation policy is rapidly embodied into new regional planning guidance and development plans for all regions of the UK. 11 SASIG ACCEPTS that, over the next 30 years, provision should be made for regional demand of around 200 mppa to be accommodated, subject to strict environmental safeguards at individual airports. Opportunities at the regional airports should not be frustrated by agreements that favour the five London airports, as has been evident in the past, nor by a shortage of suitably sited runways serving the London area. 12 SASIG ACCEPTS that, over the next 30 years, provision should be made for around 16 mppa in the South West region, with some emphasis given to good connections to both a new London Airport and the existing London airports. Air Transport in the UK 3 SASIG: November 2002 13 SASIG ACCEPTS that, over the next 30 years, provision should be made for around 90 mppa in the Northern regions, with some emphasis given to good connections to both a new London airport and the existing London airports. 14 SASIG ACCEPTS that, over the next 30 years, provision should be made for at least 36 mppa in the Midlands. That provision could be increased to around 45 mppa through the expansion of Birmingham Airport subject to the acceptance of the local authorities in the area. 15 SASIG PROPOSES that the Government’s long term policy for the South East should be based on no new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. In the light of the Government’s current forecasts and the Government’s statement that “doing nothing is not an option”, a new airport should be developed into a potential 4/5 runway, 24-hour airport. On the understanding that the Government’s technical work has shown that Cliffe is the best new airport option, then the Government be encouraged to undertake further studies on that site and other sites to ensure that, at whatever site is finally chosen, the impact on both land take and nature conservation is minimised. 16 SASIG PROPOSES that, over the next 30 years, provision should be made for around 100 to 150 mppa at a new airport to serve the South East, with firm environmental safeguards and appropriate mitigation measures. 17 SASIG ACCEPTS that, over the next 30 years, provision should be made at Gatwick for around 40 mppa with a range of environmental safeguards on noise, air pollution and night flights. 18 SASIG REJECTS a further runway at Heathrow and PROPOSES that, over the next 30 years, the airport should be capped at 480,000 atms and around 89 mppa, with a range of environmental safeguards on noise, air pollution and night flights. 19 SASIG REJECTS further runways at Stansted and PROPOSES that, over the next 30 years, the airport should be capped at around 35 mppa, with a range of environmental safeguards on noise, air pollution and night flights. 20 SASIG SUPPORTS the continued development of Luton as a 1-runway airport. 21 SASIG REJECTS the suggested airport option at Alconbury as it does not fit with SASIG’s vision of a new airport in the South East. Air Transport in the UK 4 SASIG: November 2002 INTRODUCTION 1 The Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group of the Local Government Association (SASIG) comprises some 75 local authorities that have an interest and responsibility for major aviation issues within their administrative areas. They established themselves within the Local Government Association so as to have a forum within which to discuss this specialist topic. 2 To this end SASIG has adopted a mission statement which reads: “SASIG seeks to ensure that there is a national aviation strategy for the UK that reconciles economic, social and environmental issues in a sustainable way. SASIG encourages airports and the aviation industry to operate in harmony with local government and with the communities they serve.” 3 Membership of SASIG is set out at Appendix A. The combined population of all the authorities listed is some 23 million people. SASIG thus presents a powerful voice of interested authorities, working within a democratic framework. SASIG is not a one-sided interest group but has the economic, social and environmental well being of the electorate to consider. SASIG has taken an overall view of the issues as they affect the whole of the UK. Inevitably some of the SASIG authorities do not support a small number of specific solutions. The extent of their reservations is shown in Appendix B. 4 SASIG welcomes the opportunity of responding to the Government on the "Future Development of Air Transport in the UK" and congratulates the Department for Transport on the extensive work that has been undertaken in preparing the consultation documents. SASIG also welcomes the fact that the White Paper, which will be the outcome of the consultation process, will look 30 years ahead and should therefore provide a reasonable, but minimum, planning horizon. SASIG EXPECTS the Government to maintain its commitment to publish an Airports White Paper that looks 30 years ahead. Anything less will undermine the credibility of the aviation planning process.