The Department for Transport has reiterated that its view that the south east of England needs additional airport capacity, and that this would be best met by a third runway at Heathrow.
In a response to requests for a review of government policy, the DfT’s Airport Policy Division said transport secretary Grant Shapps, “has decided that it is not appropriate to review the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) at this time”.
It set out responses to the main matters raised in the review requests, which were climate change, Covid-19, noise, air quality, cost, health and regional inequalities, and the impact on growth at other airports.
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On climate change, the document says the transport secretary “considers that the question of whether or not to review the ANPS should be considered again after the government’s Jet Zero Strategy has been finalised.”
The government is targeting net zero by 2050. The Jet Zero Council was announced in June 2020 and the Jet Zero Strategy consultation was launched in July 2021.
In terms of Covid, Shapps reportedly acknowledged the “profound effect on aviation demand since March 2020” but said it was “too soon to be able to determine what the effect of the pandemic will be on the longer term aviation demand” and would await future forecasts.
In terms of noise, air quality, costs, health and regional inequalities and impacts on the growth of other airports, the update says Shapps believes the circumstances described in relevant review requests are “not considered to constitute a significant change”.
The Heathrow expansion scheme is slated to cost £32 billion.
The update, published yesterday, said the government and transport secretary “recognise the importance of having up to date National Policy Statements to maintain the integrity of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime.”