29.01.10
There are ‘clear inadequacies’ in environmental safeguards imposed by the Government on the expansion of Heathrow, the London Assembly has said. Measures to mitigate the impact of a third runway are not ‘fit for purpose’, its environment committee said yesterday. The committee is also concerned that no single authority will ensure BAA and airlines comply with pollution measures. However, a Department for Transport (DfT) spokesman said its environmental criteria are ‘robust and relevant’.
A new runway could see passengers at Heathrow increase from 67m to 82m a year, and potentially up to 135m, which could increase aircraft noise, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Government gave the expansion the go-ahead in January last year on condition that measures were put in place to limit noise, pollution and emissions. However, three Government departments, two quangos and the Committee on Climate Change have all been charged with policing different aspects of the conditions.
London Assembly environment committee chairman Murad Qureshi said: ‘Our investigation has raised grave concerns about some of these safeguards, including clear inadequacies in approaches to tackling air pollution level. We would also question whether the noise benchmark is fit for purpose and if the emissions targets are achievable.’
He said BAA's range of measures, which include levies on the most polluting planes and efforts to reduce congestion on the airfield, were insufficient. The committee also said more action is needed to reduce road traffic, a major contributor to Heathrow's pollution but also a major revenue source from airport parking. It called for a joint government and BAA plan for improving air quality and said a failure to meet EU targets could result in fines of hundreds of millions of pounds.
However, a spokesman for the DfT said a new runway at Heathrow would secure jobs and ensure Britain remains a place where the world could come to do business. He said: ‘In giving support for a third runway, the Government was clear that new capacity will only be released once strict air quality and noise conditions are met. An enforcement framework for this is being developed and we will consult on our proposals later this year.’
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