The Government made a formal statement on Monday, 14th December on its reaction to the Davies Commission.
The Davies Commission was established to “take the politics out” of the decision on airport expansion. The Commission, which was independent of Government, worked hard over several years and at a cost of £20m to produce an extremely authoritative report. The report had an extremely strong and unanimous recommendation – which was for the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
I am therefore very disappointed that the Government has delayed a final decision to the Summer at the earliest. I am aware that this will cause a great deal of distress to many constituents as a decision is delayed yet again and the threat of a second runway at Gatwick continues to hang over us.
Prior to the Government’s announcement the Gatwick Area Co-ordination Group of MPs (of which I am an active member) issued the following statement:
"Let's stop pretending that the Airports Commission offered ministers options - it didn’t. The Commission made an unequivocal recommendation for Heathrow. It said that Gatwick would deliver half the economic benefit, has insufficient transport connections especially to the north, and would fail to provide the hub airport which Britain needs.
Keeping a sub-optimal choice of Gatwick alive just so as to delay an inevitable decision on Heathrow blights local communities, helps no-one and risks reflecting badly on us.
Five months have now elapsed since the Commission produced its report. We can’t credibly talk about a long-term economic plan, or taking decisions in the national interest, if we then run away from the big tests.
The Government set up this Commission. The recommendation is clear. It’s time to get on with it”.
I fully endorse the statement and many colleagues, not just from Sussex but from around the UK made clear their frustration with this outcome in their response to the Secretary of State’s Statement yesterday.
However given that the Government has decided to delay a final decision in order to look into Air Quality it is important they do so properly.
Heathrow’s issues with air quality relate to car emissions especially the M4 and M25. I used my question to the Secretary of State for Transport after his statement to remind him that (i) Heathrow has far more effective and rapid public transport links than Gatwick (over 8m more people are within 2hrs of Heathrow by public transport than Gatwick). (ii) Heathrow has 4 main rail links (it also has the additional possibility of a spur to HS2). Gatwick has one rail link which is one of the least reliable lines in the country. (iii) The new runway requires tens of thousands of new employees. Heathrow has them on its doorstep, Gatwick doesn’t – they would have to travel long distances to get to their place of work. (iv) The Government must, if it is to look seriously at Air Quality recognise that Gatwick with a second runway would be busier than Heathrow but will be vastly more dependent on cars – with all that flows from that (including pollution).
Link: Question to Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Sectretary of State for Transport from Jeremy Quin, MP for Horsham
http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/4afd11be-80f4-4e92-8a5d-b440017b97bc?in=17:52:47&out=17:54:17