Heathrow north-west runway: environment and local impacts
Published 25 October 2016
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heathrow-airport-expansion-environment-and-local-impacts/heathrow-north-west-runway-environment-and-local-impacts
The initial draft Airports National Policy Statement consultation closed in May 2017. This information is no longer current.
An additional runway at Heathrow will comply with air quality requirements and the UK’s carbon obligations. Expansion plans for Heathrow include noise and respite measures for the local area, along with a world class compensation package of up to £2.6 billion.
Environment
The government believes that with a range of policy measures and environmental mitigations, expansion at Heathrow can be delivered within legal air quality requirements.
The government also agrees with the Airports Commission’s assessment that a new runway at Heathrow can be delivered within the UK’s carbon obligations.
Heathrow will use low-carbon, locally sourced materials during construction.
Heathrow’s scheme includes plans for improved public transport links and for an ultra-low emissions zone for airport vehicles by 2025. It also has a target of at least 50% of passenger journeys to the airport being made on public transport by 2030.
The UK has already achieved significant improvements in air quality across a range of pollutants. Emissions of nitrogen oxides in the UK fell by 41% between 2005 and 2014.
The government will make meeting air quality legal requirements a condition of planning approval.
The Department for Transport has set up a working group with Treasury and Defra on air quality. This is the start of a 10-year project which is expected to make significant progress on driving improvements in air quality.
This follows an unprecedented UN global agreement achieved in October to combat aviation emissions. Under the deal, airlines will offset their emissions with reductions from other sectors to deliver carbon neutral growth for the aviation sector from 2020.
Local impacts
Heathrow will mitigate the noise impacts of the new runway:
- new legally binding noise targets will encourage use of quieter planes
- a six-and-a-half hour ban on scheduled night flights at Heathrow will increase the current voluntary ban from 5 hours
- a new runway means Heathrow will be better able to honour respite agreements with communities
Heathrow has pledged to pay homeowners 125% of un-blighted market value plus stamp duty, legal fees and moving costs for compulsory purchases, and it has extended the same offer to voluntarily purchase homes most affected by the development.
Heathrow will provide over £700 million for noise insulation for residential properties. Over 160,000 households could be eligible.
£40 million has been made available by the airport to insulate and ventilate schools and public buildings.
Up to £50 million per annum will also be made available from a ‘community compensation fund’. In addition local authorities around the airport will benefit from business rate retention.
Heathrow will be required to develop a Community Engagement Board, including the early appointment of an independent chair, to represent local communities.
As with other expansion costs, compensation for local communities will be paid for by the private sector, and not by tax payers.