Shake up to fast-track a new runway

Planning rules torn up to expand airports within three years — not 10

PLANNING laws may be ripped up to allow a new runway at one of the UK’s airports to be finished within two or three years, according to Government sources.

The landmark move being considered by the Department for Communities and Local Government would sidestep existing rules and cut through years of protests, inquiries and meetings that could bog down any plan to expand capacity.

The Government is expected to make a decision on whether to build a new runway at Gatwick or Heathrow next month.

A report published last year recommended Heathrow should be the focus of airport expansion. But even if this were approved, it would still face a lengthy planning process and numerous objections.

Now Whitehall insiders believe ministers already have the power to fast-track the project and avoid a repeat of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 – which sparked the longest public inquiry in British history, costing £80m and taking eight years from first application to Government approval.

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said it would submit its planning application quickly if it won Government approval.

‘A third runway at Heathrow will deliver a much-needed shot in the arm to the UK economy,’ said the spokesman.

The Airports Commission, led by Sir Howard Davies, said expanding airport capacity was crucial for the UK’s long-term prosperity.

Out of three options – extend an existing runway at Heathrow, build a new one or expand Gatwick – it said a third runway at Heathrow was the best option.

The £ 18.6bn expansion plan would mean 250,000 more flights a year, providing a £150bn boost to GDP over 60 years and 70,000 new jobs. But the decision over how to extend London’s airport capacity has been dogged by disputes.

Gatwick also wants to expand, arguing a second runway at its site would deliver the same economic boost, but with a lower environmental impact.

It also says Gatwick expansion would be less than half the cost of Heathrow and with no public sub- sidy. A new runway at Heathrow would mean demolishing 783 homes, including most of the neighbouring village of Harmondsworth.

And there are environmental concerns about noise pollution, poor air quality and extra traffic on the roads.

Prime Minister Theresa May has yet to voice approval for either option. Education Secretary Justine Greening has been a vocal critic of Heathrow expansion and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson opposed the third Heathrow runway when he was Mayor of London.

Chancellor Philip Hammond last year said he was in favour of expanding Gatwick.

Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, has called on May to approve extra runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.