Latest Aviation Policy News
Government Response to TSC Report on South East Airport Expansion
The government response to the Transport Select Committee’s third report of session 2015-16 regarding airport expansion in the South East can be found on the link below. Response issued 15 July 2016.
Mobberley Appeal Decision 4 July 2016
For reference by SASIG members, attached is the Appeal Decision regarding the refusal by Cheshire East Council to grant planning permission in Mobberley.
The development proposed was a hybrid planning application for mixed-use redevelopment.
Planning permission was refused due to the effect of noise from overhead aircraft on the external amenity areas of the residential development with impacts on health and quality of life.
SASIG response: CAA Consultation on Airspace Change
Heathrow Manifesto for Britain
Heathrow-Manifesto-for-Britain
“If Heathrow falls behind, Britain falls behind. Fewer jobs and less security for families.
That is why we must have runway capacity that is fit for the future and build it now.
We all want our children to inherit a country that is stronger and can compete in the world.
A keystone of our future success as a country is an expanded Heathrow.
It is now time for our political leaders to make the right choice.”
John Holland-Kaye
Chief Executive, Heathrow Airport
Surface Transport to Airports
Government Response to the Committee’s First Report of Session 2015–16
Surface Transport to Airports. May 2016
The Government welcomes this opportunity to respond to the Transport Committee’s recommendations on surface access to airports. The Government aims to promote greater use of public transport to airports as part of its overarching approach to a competitive aviation sector, putting passengers and airport workers needs at the top of our agenda.
CAA Consultation Regarding Proposals for a Revised Airspace Change Process
The CAA have published a consultation to learn views on changes they are considering making to their airspace change decision-making process. Their objective is to optimise their process to ensure that all stakeholders are adequately consulted as part of a transparent, proportionate process. The process should be impartial and evidence- based, and should take proper account of the needs and interests of all affected stakeholders.
The full consultation document can be downloaded here:
CAA Consultation on Proposals for a Revised Airspace Change Process March 2016
This document sets out why the CAA believe a review is necessary, and the main findings of Helios, the consultants who carried out an independent review of the process on their behalf. They explain the main principles behind the proposed changes, and, in Chapter 4, details of the specific changes they are considering to each stage of the process. They discuss the impacts they anticipate the proposed changes will have, and invite sharing of evidence so they can define these further. In Chapter 6 they also set out the statutory duties the Government has set the CAA, and how they use these in making decisions about airspace. However, this consultation is not about government policy, which is not a matter for the CAA. Neither is it about specific airspace changes that have already happened, or are currently moving through the stages of the existing process.
This consultation will close on 15 June 2016. The CAA are asking all consultees to respond through a dedicated online platform, at Citizen Space, which is designed specifically to be user-friendly for people wanting to respond to complex national and local consultations.
More detail about the objectives and scope of the consultation are set out in the introduction, along with further detail about how to respond to it.
ITC Report: The Sustainability of UK Aviation: March 2016
Independent Transport Commission report into the sustainability of UK Aviation.
ITC-Aviation-Sustainability-March-2016-complete
“The ITC has demonstrated through several research reports the importance of good international aviation connectivity for Britain, and the particular benefits of hosting a top, globally-connected, hub airport. We have therefore encouraged the Government to act swiftly and implement the Airports Commission’s recommendations to allow the delivery of new aviation infrastructure.
That the Government has not yet done so is due to concerns about the environmental impacts of aviation, particularly in three areas: noise, carbon emissions, and local air quality. The Government announced in December 2015 that it would be conducting further work on noise and local air quality, as well as addressing sustainability concerns that have arisen over airport expansion, before it takes a decision on airport expansion. The ITC agrees that these are crucial issues. We have commissioned this report to explore the trajectory of improvements in aviation sustainability and to reach an assessment on whether these will continue.”
Transport Committee report on Surface Access
The Transport Committee’s report on surface access was published on 26 February 2016.
TSC Inquiry – Surface Transport to Airports
“In the last Parliament, the Transport Committee recommended that the Government should develop a coherent strategy to improve road and rail access to the UK’s major airports, and stressed the need for greater connectivity between airports outside South East England. Our inquiry shows that Government has made little headway with this agenda. The absence of a decision on airport expansion in the South East is a major obstruction to progress, and without a master plan for the country, the regions cannot be expected to deliver effectively their own pieces of the jigsaw.”
Department for Transport EU Aviation Strategy January Update
The Department for Transport have sent out their January update regarding EU Aviation Strategy. Details can be found here:DfT EU Aviation Strategy Update since 15th January
Department for Transport External Advisory Group Meeting Papers
For the information of SASIG members, below are the meeting papers from the Department for Transport’s Aviation External Advisory Group meeting on 28 January 2016.
DfT EAG Meeting Documents 28.01.16