Committee to scrutinise UK runway plans

The UK Parliament’s Transport Committee will hold an inquiry into the revised proposal for an Airports National Policy Statement (NPS), tabled by the government last week (October 24).
The committee said that there is no need to resubmit previous evidence but would welcome further submissions, particularly on whether the revised passenger demand forecasts and air quality assessments have been satisfactorily completed and are represented accurately in the final version of the NPS and Appraisal of Sustainability.
The final report by the Airports Commission published in July 2015  concluded that a northwest runway at Heathrow Airport provided the best option for runway expansion in South East England and, in October 2016, the Government announced that the runway was its preferred scheme.
The plans were included in the draft Airports NPS, subject to consultation in accordance with UK planning laws.
Chair of the Transport Committee, member of Parliament Lilian Greenwood , said: "The Committee has a vital role in scrutiny when it comes to the important issue of expanding runway capacity in the South East.
"The Department for Transport has launched consultation on the revised version of the draft Airports National Policy Statement. Our inquiry will examine, in detail, the Government’s plans for delivering the new runway, including the economic benefits, mitigating the environmental impact and the action proposed to support affected communities.
"The Committee will report back with findings, making sure that the evidence base and supporting measures are sufficient for the third runway at Heathrow to gain Parliamentary approval."