Heathrow Airport 'Could Need More Expansion'
The operator of London Heathrow Airport, the British Airports Authority (BAA), has said the airport could one day need to be expanded beyond the remit of the current proposals.
BAA already wants to expand the UK's busiest airport to include a third runway and a sixth terminal - but the company's boss said on 23rd January that, in the long term, even this may not be enough if Heathrow is to remain in the leading rank of world airports.
Stephen Nelson, BAA's chief executive, refused to say the existing plans would be last significant expansion at Heathrow.
Asked whether BAA wants, in the long term, to go beyond the present expansion plans, Nelson said: "I will not be giving undertakings which, in some sense, could be considered hostage to fortune in the future.
He added: "It would be inappropriate for me to speculate on whether there will be a further case for capacity expansion beyond 2030."
Industry analysts believe that even if the third runway and sixth terminal were to be built, Heathrow would reach capacity by the year 2030. They say the airport may still have to expand beyond this if it is remain competitive with other major European hubs such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam (Schipol).
Reacting to Nelson's comments, John Stewart, chairman of Hacan, an anti-Heathrow development group, said: "This means thousands more homes will be blighted by uncertainty. We fear that they will first [build] the third runway and then build a fourth. The time has come to say enough is enough."
The Department for Transport (DfT) declined to say whether the Government would support expansion beyond the present plans.
London Assembly Review Heathrow Expansion Plans
Nelson made the comments at a meeting of the London Assembly's Environment Committee, which was convened to discuss the environmental impact of the current expansion proposals at Heathrow.
These proposals, which make provision for a third runway and sixth terminal, are currently undergoing a 3-month public consultation which concludes at the end of February.
Also in attendance at the meeting were industry leaders, anti-development campaigners and representatives from the 2M Group, an organisation which represents 12 local authorities surrounding Heathrow who would be affected by any expansion at Heathrow.
The current plans would require Sipson village to be bulldozed to make way for the new runway. Council leaders from Chelsea, Ealing, Fulham, Hammersmith, Hillingdon, Maidenhead, Merton, Richmond, Slough, Spelthorne, South Bucks District Council and Wandsworth all say their areas would suffer from increased aircraft noise if the development were to happen.
Those against Heathrow's development made their opposition clear at the Assembly meeting. The 2M Group, as well as Hacan, made presentations to the Committee where they argued that the economic impact of Heathrow expansion counts little against other factors such as the environment and quality of life.
Heathrow Expansion Protesters Want More Consultation
The protesters also repeated their demand for the Heathrow expansion consultation period to be extended beyond the end of next month.
Last week, Barbara Reid from Wandsworth Council and a leading member of the 2M Group, drew attention to the fact that a number of residents surrounding Heathrow - including those in Hounslow, which is immediately next to the airport - had not received their copies of the consultation documents.
She said: "The Government allowed only the minimum three months for consultation. As things stand it will close on February 27. That is simply not long enough for a consultation of this complexity.
"With so many people about to receive this information for the first time it is only fair that the consultation deadline be extended - at least for another two months."
The 2M Group have also said that the consultation should be extended because of the wording of the document itself.
The group's claims were supported by Chrissie Maher, founder of the Plain English Campaign, who said: "No ordinary person with an interest in the plans to expand Heathrow could be expected to read and understand [the consultation documents]...we strongly support the call for it to be re-written in language which makes sense."
Source - Airport International's London Reporter
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