News & Insights

Do we really need yet another Airports consultation?

Eyebrows have been raised from the business community and others who feel a decision on this controversy is long overdue. They think that the 70,000 responses given to Howard Davies’ Airports Commission were more than enough to expose the relevant arguments.

The trouble is that the Questions asked were a bit general – in fact they were VERY general and were deliberately designed to avoid the more straightforward Yes/No type options. In many ways they were excellent. After all, consultation is not meant to be a ballot!

website1

We suspect the Airports Commission always envisaged the need for a further consultation, when more information is known about the precise project(s) the Government wishes to propose.

There is a danger of consultation fatigue. There is also a danger that yet another consultation is seen as a fudge and buying time in order to minimize the damage of a rift in the Conservative Party.

In principle, there is a case for consultation if the decision is still to be made. If, however, newspaper reports are right, and the Government will announce a decision in favour of Heathrow’s expansion next week, what exactly is the purpose of the consultation? We see three possibilities

  • “We want to expand Heathrow, but we would like to know your views about the potential impact of this decision so we can design a scheme that mitigates them as far as possible?”
  • “Parliament will need to take the final decision, and the Government now has a preferred option. Please give us your views on this and the Gatwick alternative so as to inform the Parliamentary debate?”
  • “The Government wants to expand Heathrow, but only subject to environmental and other safeguards (eg Air Quality). Please give us your views as to whether these can be reasonably delivered?”

Which will it be?

And can it be organised so as to meet the demanding requirements of the doctrine of legitimate expectation? And the hugely important Gunning Principles? And the demanding Aarhus Convention rules means that it must factor a significant independent element in the exercise.

If the Government gets the next consultation wrong, it could be mired in legal challenges for years to come.

Don’t expect to book tickets from the new runway just yet!

 

More news

police
Shopping Basket
Scroll to Top

Your membership questions answered

View our frequently asked questions or contact our dedicated account manager for further support.

You can reset your password here. If you’re still having issues, please send us a message below.

We have many ways you can pay for your membership.

  • Credit card
  • Online
  • Invoice
  • PO
  • Monthly

You can renew/upgrade your membership here.

To find out more, send us a message below.

You will receive a reminder email from our dedicated membership account manager 4 weeks before your renewal date. This email will contain all the information you need to renew.

You can also renew your membership online here.

You can update your contact details here. Alternatively, please send a message to our membership account manager below.

Please send a message to our membership account manager below. 

Still need support?

Our dedicated Membership Account Manager is on
hand to assist with any questions you might have.

Request a callback

Leave a message and our team will call you back

"*" indicates required fields

Name*

Send us a message

We’ll be in touch with you soon.

Name(Required)
Email(Required)