Airports NPS Update

Yesterday the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, announced that there would be a further consultation on the passenger forecast and air quality aspects of the Draft Airports National Policy Statement: new runway capacity and infrastructure at airports in the South East of England. See here for more details. Also yesterday, the Government published an interim report entitled Interim Report of the Independent  Consultation Adviser to the  Secretary of State for Transport Consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement into the consultation, by Sir Jeremy Sullivan. The overall conclusion reached is that “the consultation on the draft NPS was well planned and, with one exception well executed”. The exception related to the content of a leaflet produced by the Department as part of the consultation process. In the interim report Sir Jeremy Sullivan also says “I realise that these conclusions will be dismissed as unduly panglossian by many of the consultees who are opposed to the Government’s policies in the draft NPS. As a step in the process under the 2008 Planning Act for the authorisation of a new runway at Heathrow, the consultation was bound to be criticised by those who are opposed to that proposal”. See here for more details. James Maurici QC, David Blundell, Andrew Byass and Heather Sargent are acting for the Department of Transport on airport expansion.