- Environmental Responsibility
- Air Quality
- Noise
- Climate Change
- Improving Public Transport
- High Speed Rail
The Environment
Future Heathrow believes that the case
for growth at Heathrow is strong but it is also important that growth
at the airport is sustainable.
The Government has clearly stated that a third runway will not go ahead unless strict environmental limits are met:
- no more noise overall than in 2002
- air quality better than it is today
- improvements to public transport
- aviation meets the cost of its climate change impacts
Modelling undertaken by the Department
for Transport's Project for Sustainable Development of Heathrow has
shown that these environmental limits would be met.
Some people remain concerned and to help
provide the public with confidence that the noise and air quality limits
would be met if expansion were approved, BAA has asked the Government
to appoint an independent assessor to oversee the limits.
If for any reason the limits were not
being met, the assessor would have the power to limit the number of
flights operating in and out of the airport. This will ensure
that, regardless of the theoretical capacity created by mixed-mode and
a third runway, Heathrow will only raise the number of flights if the
environmental limits can be met.
Future Heathrow considers the environmental
limits to be non-negotiable and our members believe that Heathrow's
environmental impact can be effectively managed by adopting a mix of
regulation, voluntary measures and economic instruments. To find
out more please follow the links at the side of this page.
Growth at Heathrow does not have to be
at the cost of the environment.