Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has published proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. A national consultation (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/heathrow-expansion-draft-airports-national-policy-statement) will take place on the proposals.
Late last year Chris Grayling confirmed that the government’s preferred scheme for adding new runway capacity in the south-east is through a new north-west runway at Heathrow Airport. In line with the recommendation made by the independent Airports Commission , and that the policy for this would be brought forward by way of a draft national policy statement (NPS) which would be subject to public consultation. The Government’s draft NPS, Airports National Policy Statement: new runway capacity at airports on the south west of England lays down the planning policy framework which the applicant for a new north-west runway would have to comply with in order to get development consent. It also sets out the need for additional runway capacity in the south-east and the reasons why a north-west runway at Heathrow is the government’s preferred scheme.
The draft NPS is now open to an extensive public consultation which closes on the 25th May 2017. Although the NPS will apply to England only, given the national significance of a north-west runway at Heathrow, the government is consulting across the UK. During the consultation, there will be a series of local information events. In addition there will be events taking place across the UK, including one in Leeds scheduled for the 24th of March, for business, industry and other interested parties. At the same time, and as required by the Planning Act 2008, a period of Parliamentary scrutiny will begin for the draft NPS, ending in 2017. Following consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny, a final airports NPS is expected to be laid before Parliament for debate and vote in winter 2017-18.
