Latest News
In this part of our Heathrow Parking information section, we aim to bring you some selected new stories concerning Heathrow Airport. We hope you find it useful:
High Court Proceedings over Heathrow Airport third runway Fenruary 24 2010
High Court proceedings have commenced in London to review the government’s decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow Airport, prompted by a legal challenge by a coalition of thirteen organizations including WWF, Greenpeace, RSPB and CPRE, reports This Is Local London. The group claims the consultation process was flawed and the decision opposes the UK’s climate change targets
Opposition to the third runway goes as far back as 2008 when a battle of words was waged between both sides. At the time, British Airways was cited for making false claims about the environmental impact of the runway expansion at Heathrow, claiming the expansion would greatly reduce CO2 emissions, while two environmental agencies, Airport Watch and enoughsenough, were told it had to change an ad campaign after making unsubstantiated claims about the level of public opposition to the airport expansion.
Now, WWF says if a third runway is built at Heathrow, the airport will become the single largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the UK, and destroy 700 homes — the entire village of Sipson.
The coalition says the decision to proceed with a third runway was made by then-Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon in a statement to parliament in January 2009, who tried to sway parliament by proposing a number of additional environmental measures.
The coalition is alleging that these added measures mean the expansion plans are now fundamentally different to the original proposals, which the government consulted the public about in 2007, reports WWF.
One of the new measures was a target to reduce aviation carbon emissions to 2005 levels by 2050. In response to the UK government’s request on how it could meet the target, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said it would have to severely curtail its plans for airport expansion throughout the UK, reports eGov Monitor.
The coalition argues that the expansion of Heathrow cannot proceed now since the policy has been discredited, reports eGov.
Another measure states that the runway would only be used at half its capacity until a review in 2020 that would evaluate noise and air pollution as well as if carbon targets could be met, reports eGov. Opponents say imposing this limit destroys the economic case for a third runway, while it destroys the village of Sipson.
The coalition also argues, supported by Transport for London, that there is no evidence to support the UK government’s claim that there will be enough public transport to serve the new runway.
The proposed Heathrow Airport expansion is sure to rumble on.
Important announcement for passengers flying to the USA January 5 2010
BAA have issued the following notice tp passengers from Heathrow Airport
"Passengers travelling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding.
To support this important process and keep delays to a minimum, we would advise passengers to check the relevant airline website or call the airline for specific advice before travelling to the airport, arrive promptly at check-in, and limit the amount of baggage being taken on board the aircraft. If in any doubt, please contact the relevant airline for further information."
Heathrow Airport on sea October 18 2009
PLANS to relieve congestion at Heathrow by building a sister airport in the Thames estuary have moved a step closer.
The four-runway travel hub, nicknamed “Heathrow-on-Sea”, would be connected to the existing airport by a 200mph rail line that would enable passengers to transfer between flights in 45 minutes.
The project has been declared technically feasible in a report commissioned by Boris Johnson, the London mayor. He has now appointed Sir David King, the former government chief scientist, to conduct a more detailed study.
The estuary idea has gained extra impetus because plans to cope with expanding air traffic by building a third runway and new terminal at Heathrow could be mothballed, despite being approved by the government. The Conservatives oppose it and earlier this month BAA, the airports operator, said it would not submit a planning application before the general election.
The blueprint for the estuary airport has been drawn up by Douglas Oakervee, the engineer who helped plan Hong Kong’s island airport.
King will look at the plan as part of a study into the future of airports in southeast England. “There is a fairly obvious attraction to Oakervee’s plan which is that you essentially move that enormous mess of flight paths over London into the estuary, with all of the noise and pollution that go with it,” he said.
“Is this a white elephant? I wouldn’t be taking this on if I thought there was a simple answer.”
King’s brief will include working out whether the new airport can be environmentally friendly. He will consider new wind farms and a tidal barrage, which could generate 7% of the electricity needs of England and Wales and help offset the new airport’s emissions.
King’s estuary working group will include Oakervee, the architect Sir Terry Farrell, Nick Raynsford, the former London minister, and Kit Malthouse, Johnson’s deputy.
Oakervee said: “We’ve got to stop this short-termist mentality in planning. If you do nothing to our airports by 2030, the shortfall will be massive.
“Even if you build runways at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick you’ll be two runways short of what is needed. Forget arguments about a third runway, by 2030 we’ll need a new airport.”
Possible financing could come from the sovereign wealth funds of China and the Gulf states. The £40 billion airport would be built on artificial islands three miles long and a mile wide in the outer estuary north of the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. It could be built by 2029.
Although Johnson has said he eventually wants to close Heathrow, Oakervee instead recommends reducing the number of flights using it and linking it to the estuary runways via high-speed rail — in effect creating a six-runway hub for northwest Europe.
A second rail link would connect the airport to cities on the continent via the existing high-speed line used by Eurostar, reducing the need for short-haul flights.
Oakervee’s report, which is to be published tomorrow, identifies “no overwhelming obstacles” to building the airport. It says concerns about bird strikes are overstated because the runways would be several miles from the coastal mudflats where thousands of migrating birds congregate, and shipping lanes would not be disturbed.
Oakervee acknowledges, however, that the project will be a “massive undertaking”. Building the two islands, measuring three miles long by one mile across, will require 17 times more spoil than will be generated by excavations from the London Crossrail project.
Reconfiguring London’s flightpaths will be complex; and a solution has yet to be found for how to remove the nearby wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery, a second world war ship loaded with explosives and deemed too dangerous to touch.
The project’s £40 billion price tag far exceeds the £9 billion cost of a third runway at Heathrow.
According to Johnson’s advisers, Gulf investors have already expressed an interest in funding the airport and Oakervee believes costs could be dramatically reduced by making the building site available as a “free dumping ground” for spoil.
Johnson’s decision to continue with the estuary project has failed to win over his party’s leadership. The Conservatives oppose expanding Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick but have yet to say how they will cope with the expected expansion in demand for air travel.
The new Heathrow on sea airport would have more than 100,000 Airport parking places.
Planning Application Put Off October 12 2009
BAA, the owners of Heathrow Airport are reported to have put off the planning application for the third runway at the Airport.
The Conservative Party has stated that if it wins the next election, it will cancel the propsed expansion.
The BBC carries a report on 9 July:
"The government must reduce the number of planes that are allowed to "stack" over Heathrow Airport, MPs have said.
A report by the Commons Transport Committee says stacking - where planes queue up to land - needs to be cut if a third runway is to be built.
It also says ministers should examine limiting noise levels and aircraft numbers over beauty spots.
According to the report, excessive stacking over Heathrow, in west London, had "negative environmental impacts".
But it added: "A third runway at Heathrow, if built, offers a real opportunity to add resilience into the air traffic management system and to help reduce excessive stacking.
"If a third runway is built at Heathrow, the government should create a framework for setting targets to eliminate excessive stacking around the airport."
Committee chairman Louise Ellman said the Department of Transport should fund research into how to set useful limits.
She added: "Tranquillity is a key factor in sensitive areas such as national parks.
"Current guidance appears to allow unchecked increases in aviation activity over these areas.""
Whether the third runway, and terminal 6 is ever built is a matter for conjecture.
Airline bosses have told the British government that expansion of Heathrow airport is essential. Easyjet and Virgin bosses have told the House of Commons that Heathrow is already full to capacity and that further investment was needed.
Third runway supporters claim that the expansion of Heathrow airport is essential for Britains future economic growth. They have alerted the Government to the fact that Heathrow is now fifth in a league table of airports regarding the number of destinations served, behind Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam and Munich. They say that the third runway is needed in order to ensure that Heathrow retains its status as a primary International hub.
Many well known companies have joined together in support of the third Heathrow runway. These include BT, Tate and Lyle and the drinks group Diageo. The emerging economies and opportunities presented in Africa, Latin Americal and Asia has led to them being united with the CBI employers group and TUC in support of a third runway.
However, scientists involved in climate change research have said that Heathrow expansion must be halted. Some have said that the only practical solution is to curb the demand for air transport. Clearly, this approach would not be good for business growth.
The decision to allow BAA to draw up plans for the controversial third runway was granted in January 2009. But this has been legally challenged by a coalition representing millions of people. The key points of the challenge are:
- That the UK risks breaching noise targets and the EU legal limits on air pollution.
- The decision to allow the development of a third runway at Heathrow will undermine Government’s efforts to meet emission targets that are intended to make a significant contribution to tackling climate change.
- That there should have been further consultation as the final plan adopted by the Government was so different from the original proposals.
The decision to allow BAA to draw up detailed plans for the expansion of Heathrow will now be examined by the courts to assess whether the decision was compatible with their existing legal oblications and policies on climate change and the environment.
It seems inevitable that further conflict will arise between those who insist that expansion is needed for economic growth and those who believe that expansion will be too much for the environment.