2nd Sep 2014 09:58
LONDON (Alliance News) - The commission asked by the UK government to review the country's needs for additional airport capacity confirmed Tuesday that it will not be considering the proposal put forward by London Mayor Boris Johnson for a new airport in the Thames Estuary, saying it would be too expensive and would cause "huge" economic disruption.
The Mayor has heavily backed the proposal for a major new hub airport in the Thames Estuary to replace Heathrow, which is almost full to capacity and wants to be allowed to expand and continue to be the country's major air hub.
In a statement, the Airports Commission said it had looked at the feasibility of an inner Thames estuary airport in detail and concluded that substantial disadvantages collectively outweigh the potential benefits.
It said it hadn't been persuaded that a very large airport in the Thames is the right answer to London and the UK's needs, and it believes a hub airport should be part of an effective system of competing airports to meet the needs of a "widely spread and diverse market like London's".
The Commission is also concerned about the costs and environmental impact of the proposal.
"The economic disruption would be huge and there are environmental hurdles which it may prove impossible, or very time-consuming to surmount. Even the least ambitious version of the scheme would cost GBP70 to GBP90 billion with much greater public expenditure involved than in other options ? probably some GBP30 to GBP60 billion in total," it said.
The Commission, led by Howard Davies, is now left with three proposals to expand airport capacity: a second runway at Gatwick airport, a third runway at Heathrow, or an extension to one of the current Heathrow runways to allow it to be operated as two separate runways.
The current coalition government had initially ruled out a third runway at Heathrow when it came to power in 2010, but its stance softened as businesses have pressured it to make a decision on expansion. The government asked the Airports Commission to look at the issue and make recommendations, although a final decision won't come until after the next election in 2015 and the next government is not obliged to act on those recommendations.
The issue is hugely divisive, and successive governments have delayed making a decision on expansion, fearing a voter backlash. However, the need is clear, as Heathrow is running at near-capacity and has fallen behind European competitors like Amsterdam, which has five main runways, while Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt airport both have four runways.
Big business and many politicians favor expansion at Heathrow or Gatwick, likely the quickest options for expansion. However, Johnson is fervently pushing his plan for an all-new hub airport to be built in the Thames Estuary. Local residents around Gatwick and Heathrow fear expansion would mean extra noise and pollution.
Johnson, who is set to become a Member of Parliament at next year's general election and is seeking to be selected as a candidate for a constituency which would be heavily impacted by any expansion of Heathrow, thinks that an all new four-runway airport, replacing Heathrow as the UK's major international hub, is the only solution to the problem and would give the country a huge infrastructure boost and guarantee it can meet expanding air transport needs for decades to come.
The Thames Estuary proposal has even been nicknamed Boris Island, although the Mayor has been criticised by London assembly about the time and money that has been spent on developing the proposal.
The Airports Commission sought to answer the criticism that it expected to get from Johnson in its statement.
"There will be those who argue that the commission lacks ambition and imagination. We are ambitious for the right solution. The need for additional capacity is urgent. We need to focus on solutions which are deliverable, affordable, and set the right balance for the future of aviation in the UK," it said.
Johnson called the decision short-sighted Tuesday and said plans to expand either Heathrow or Gatwick would fail, as he vowed to continue to push his proposal.
?In one myopic stroke the Airports Commission has set the debate back by half a century and consigned their work to the long list of vertically filed reports on aviation expansion that are gathering dust on a shelf in Whitehall," Johnson said in a statement.
"Gatwick is not a long term solution and Howard Davies must explain to the people of London how he can possibly envisage that an expansion of Heathrow, which would create unbelievable levels of noise, blight and pollution, is a better idea than a new airport to the east of London that he himself admits is visionary, and which would create the jobs and growth this country needs to remain competitive," he added.
By Steve McGrath; [email protected]; @stevemcgrath1
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