Out-Law News 1 min. read

UK needs National Policy Statement for aviation, says expert


The Government must introduce a robust National Policy Statement to establish beyond doubt the need and location for new airport capacity, said a planning and aviation expert.

Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to announce a consultation on proposals for an airport in the Thames Estuary within weeks, according to reports. A formal announcement on Government plans are expected in March.

Several proposals for a new London airport have been put forward, but there have been no conclusive announcements or debates from the Government. 

Jon Riley, a planning and aviation expert at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that any statement should look at the need for capacity overall and not just in the south east of England.

"Airport operators will also be looking carefully at the final National Planning Policy Framework, which should emerge at the same time as the aviation consultation," said Riley. "Alongside the Aviation Framework, we need a robust National Policy Statement to establish unassailably the need and location for new capacity in planning terms – and not just in the south east."

National Policy Statements (NPS) were introduced under the Planning Act. They set out national policy and establish the case for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, such as airports. They must be considered by decision makers when considering a planning application.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has put forward plans for a Thames Estuary airport, called Boris Island and Architect Lord Forster recently unveiled his proposals for a controversial £50 billion Thames Estuary airport hub, but no decision has been made by the Government on a preferred option.

The Government said when it took office in 2009 that it would cancel the proposed third runway at Heathrow and that it would refuse permission for additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted, but it has yet to announce any future plans.

“The Conservatives rightly continue to warm to aviation as a driver of economic growth," said Riley. "Including Thames Estuary options in the Aviation Framework consultation allows for an urgently needed, structured debate about the unavoidable question of where new hub capacity in the south-east is going to be built."

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