Asked by: Tania Mathias (Conservative - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many attendees there have been at each of the public consultation events his Department has held on the draft Airports National Policy Statement.
Answered by John Hayes
The Department held 20 public consultation events around Heathrow Airport between 13 February and 15 March in support of the consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement. The table below holds the figures for how many members of the public were recorded as attending each event:
Event | Number of attendees |
Southall | 76 |
Uxbridge | 137 |
Kingston | 206 |
Bracknell | 223 |
Wimbledon | 176 |
Ealing | 224 |
Staines-upon-Thames | 297 |
Twickenham | 354 |
Putney | 257 |
Hounslow | 198 |
Stanwell Moor | 123 |
Kensington | 131 |
Windsor | 167 |
West Drayton | 281 |
Hammersmith | 303 |
Maidenhead | 206 |
Richmond | 429 |
Gerrard’s Cross | 156 |
Slough | 167 |
Isleworth | 229 |
Although these are the recorded attendance figures, there may be a small margin of error resulting from a manual count.
Asked by: Tania Mathias (Conservative - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures he has put in place for members of the public to raise concerns about the (a) process and (b) content of the nationwide consultation events his Department is running on the Airport National Policy Statement.
Answered by John Hayes
There are a number of ways for members of the public to raise concerns about both the process and content of the consultation events the Department is running on the draft Airports National Policy Statement:
a) Through discussion with officials at the local consultation events;
b) Calling the Department’s consultation enquiry helpline where queries can be logged and directed to the relevant area (0800 689 4968)
c) Emailing RunwayConsultation.admin@dft.gsi.gov.uk
d) By contacting Sir Jeremy Sullivan, the Independent Consultation Adviser at independentadviser@runwayconsultation.gsi.gov.uk
Asked by: Tania Mathias (Conservative - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential road safety implications of aircraft flying low over and alongside the M4 motorway in the event that a third runway is built at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
Safety and security are of paramount importance, these issues were considered by the Airports Commission and will be given due regard again at appropriate points in the process in light of established procedures and standards that apply to all airports.
Flightpaths for an expanded Heathrow have not been formulated and will be subject to consultation as part of the airspace change process.
Asked by: Tania Mathias (Conservative - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the publication of draft flight paths to and from an expanded Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
We cannot be certain about the timing of the publication of draft flight paths for an expanded Heathrow Airport, because the airport operator will be leading the application for the airspace changes needed for new flight paths associated with a new runway. They will need to follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change process. It is through this process that communities will see and have the opportunity to comment on detailed proposals for any new flight paths. This process covers all aspects of the proposal including safety and environmental impacts, and a requirement to consult the communities that may be affected by the proposal.
Asked by: Tania Mathias (Conservative - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the draft National Policy Statement on the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on airport capacity on 25 October 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/airport-capacity. In that statement my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State set out how the announcement fits within the planning process, and the opportunities members of this House have to contribute.
He stated that in the New Year, we will bring forward a draft ‘National policy statement’, which includes the details of the proposed scheme.
As required under legislation, this will be subject to a full and extensive public consultation, followed by a period of Parliamentary scrutiny.
Only once members have voted on the final National Policy Statement and it has been designated will the airport be able to bring forward a detailed planning application.