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Heathrow expansion worth millions to NE

Plans for a third Heathrow runway could boost the North East’s economy £115m by each year, according to a recent report - much to the dismay of many environmentalists.

The report by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed that for every year Heathrow fails to expand a third runway, the economy loses nearly £1 billion, more than ten per cent of which comes from the North East.

The ‘Economic Impacts of Hub Airports’ report claimed airports like Heathrow, the only Hub airport in the UK, provide a ‘comprehensive global network’ for UK businesses to thrive on. By extending to a third runway, Heathrow would deliver more destinations and supply greater frequencies and fewer delays; enhancing productivity and connectivity for UK businesses in the longer term.

David Frost, director general of BCC, commented: “The UK is a trading nation. We need to get our businesses around the world, and this report shows that Heathrow is key to that.

“The expansion would allow businesses in the North East and elsewhere to have a much greater access to Heathrow and, therefore, to markets around the world.”

Impact on the North East

Ross Smith, Head of Policy at the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “We believe it is critical for the North East to have a well-connected international airport, granting access to a wide export market.

“The next best thing would be a UK Hub airport.

“We would be supportive of the expansion of Heathrow’s third runway, if it could be guaranteed that slots would be available for the North East region – the airport would have to serve the whole country.”

Graeme Mason, head of planning and corporate affairs at Newcastle International Airport said: “The future growth of Heathrow does not just impact on London and the South East; it also has a major impact on peripheral regions which rely greatly on access into major airports for continued growth, inward investment and access to world markets.

“Existing flights between Newcastle and Heathrow carry approximately half a million passengers per year and support strongly the regional economic development of the North East.

“However, it is imperative that this expansion helps to safeguard the future of regional air services as a fundamental priority. Our support for the third runway at Heathrow is strong, but it is also conditional, and the Government must demonstrate a commitment to the UK regions by showing how it intends to link the expansion with the protection of regional air services into Heathrow.”

Environmental issues

Claims have been made that even if the third runway did meet EU guidelines there would still be a potentially harsh impact on the health of the people in the South East.

On top of issues ranging from noise pollution to air pollution and climate change to road traffic, it has been suggested by The Environment Agency that although the economy will benefit greatly from the third runway, the environment will suffer severely.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .