Government launches consultation on draft Airports NPS

The Secretary of State for Transport will today be laying before Parliament a draft Airports National Policy Statement and beginning a period of extensive public consultation on the policy proposals it contains. The draft Airports National Policy Statement sets out the need for additional airport capacity, as well as the reasons why the government believes that need is best met by a north-west runway at Heathrow.

See here for more information.

At the same time there is also being published for consultation proposals to modernise the way UK airspace is managed, which will be consulted on in parallel.

These 2 consultations will last for 16 weeks and close on 25 May 2017. At the same time, and as required by the Planning Act 2008, a period of Parliamentary scrutiny (the ‘relevant period’) now begins for the Airports National Policy Statement, ending by summer recess 2017.

For press coverage: see here. 

Earlier this week Cranston J. struck out a judicial review brought by the London Boroughs of Hillingdon, Wandsworth and Richmond, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Greenpeace. The judicial review sought to challenge on the decision of the Secretary of State on 25 October 2016 to select for inclusion in a draft National Policy Statement the Heathrow North West Runway scheme. That decision is not being appealed. For press coverage see here. 

James Maurici QC, David Blundell, Andrew Byass and Heather Sargent are acting for the Secretary of State for Transport on additional airports capacity.