Key Issues - SE Airport development

Key issues

11.1 In 2003 there were some 120 million journeys through South East airports out of a national total of around 200 million. More than half of the total UK demand that is forecast for 2030 is for airports in the South East of England. Demand is high principally because of the nature and strength of the economy within the South East, and in London in particular.

11.2 The pressures on existing capacity in the South East of England are already more severe than those in the rest of the country. At Heathrow, for many years now the demand for runway capacity has exceeded the available supply for virtually all hours of the day - and there are very stringent controls on the number of flights permitted at night. At Gatwick, demand exceeds supply for much of the day, especially in summer. At Stansted, there is no spare capacity in some peak hours, and demand is continuing to grow extremely rapidly. Only at Luton, and, to a lesser extent, at London City is there significant capacity available in peak hours.

11.3 At the same time, the South East is the most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. As a result, the pressures from competing land uses are greater, and the likelihood of airport growth impacting on people, and on protected land such as green belts, will often be greater. Airports are themselves a significant driver of economic growth, and their expansion needs to fit with the Government's wider policies for sustainable growth as reflected in the Communities Plan.

11.4 The issue of airport capacity in the South East is significant for the whole of the country. 80 per cent of air travellers using the main London airports are travelling to or from somewhere in the South East. But it was made very clear in responses to the consultation that business and leisure travellers from all parts of the UK benefit from the range and frequency of international services from those airports.

11.5 In the consultation exercise, we put forward options for one or more new runways at each of Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick as well as an option ...

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11.5 In the consultation exercise, we put forward options for one or more new runways at each of Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick as well as an option for a new airport at Cliffe. We also consulted on two options for development of Luton Airport. During the consultation promoters of alternative airport projects submitted proposals, including new offshore and coastal airports. We also sought views on the role of smaller South East airports. We have taken account of all the views expressed in reaching our conclusions on the provision of additional airport capacity in the South East, which are set out below.

Main conclusions

11.6 Our first priority is to make the best possible use of the existing runways at the major South East airports.

11.7 Making best use of existing runways in the South East will provide some much-needed additional capacity. But on its own it would fall a long way short of providing a lasting solution. Facilitating the growth of airports in other regions will also reduce the pressure on the major South East airports, but this will not substantially reduce the long-term pressure on London airports.

11.8 Having considered all the information before us, we believe, on balance, that two new runways will be needed in the South East over the next three decades. It is clear that a first new runway is needed as soon as possible, although it would take up to a decade to put in place. Beyond that there are large uncertainties, which increase the further ahead we look, for the reasons set out in Chapter 2. But we believe that work has to start now on planning for a second new runway to be built probably around 2015-2020.

11.9 Each of the potential locations for additional runways identified in our consultation has significant environmental, practical and other constraints. We also recognise that, wherever we identify a need for another runway, this will cause concern, even if it might be fifteen to twenty years or more before such a runway is built.

11.10 Taking all these factors into account, including the longer-term uncertainties, we propose to take a balanced and measured approach, based on the principles set out in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. We therefore intend to identify now where we believe the first new runway should be located, and to start to plan for a second new runway, including safeguarding the necessary land.

11.11 In summary, our principal conclusions about new runway capacity in the South East are:

we support making best use of the existing runway at Stansted and development to its full use of a single runway at Luton;
we support the provision of two new runways in the South East in the thirty year period to 2030;
we do not believe that there is a strong case for attempting to create a second hub airport in the South East;
we support development as soon as possible (we expect around 2011/2012) of a wide-spaced second runway at Stansted, with strict environmental controls, as the first new runway to be built in the South East;
we support development of Heathrow provided that stringent environmental limits can be met, including a new runway as soon as possible after the new runway at Stansted (our assessment is that there is a substantially better chance that the limits could be met in the 2015-2020 period);
we propose an urgent programme of work and consultation to find solutions to the key environmental issues at Heathrow and to consider how we can make best use of the existing airport;
we have concluded that we should not take action to overturn the 1979 planning agreement that prevented construction of a second runway at Gatwick before 2019;
we believe that there is a strong case on its merits for a wide-spaced second runway at Gatwick after 2019 and that land should be safeguarded for such a runway, in case it becomes clear in due course that the conditions that we wish to attach to our support for the construction of a third Heathrow runway cannot be met;
the policies set out above provide for the two new runways which are needed; we do not, therefore, support development of two or three additional runways at Stansted, or development of two new runways at Gatwick;
we do not support the option of a new airport at Cliffe, or any of the proposals for alternative locations put forward during the consultation;
we support, in principle, development of smaller airports in the South East to meet local demand subject to relevant environmental considerations; and
we do not support development of Alconbury for passenger or freight services, but we recognise the potential for relocation there of aircraft maintenance operations from Cambridge Airport.