DON'T FOLLOW BAA LIKE SHEEP SAYS SOUTHERN REGIONS

SIMPLY BUILDING THREE MORE RUNWAYS IN THE SOUTH EAST AS THE BRITISH AIRPORTS AUTHORITY (BAA) PROPOSES IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE WAY TO MEET FUTURE AIR TRAVEL NEEDS. This is the warning to the Government from the three regions in the wider South East.

At a recent meeting of the Advisory Forum on Regional Planning for London, the South East and the East of England, the three regional planning bodies covering the Greater South East- the South East England Regional Assembly, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the East of England Regional Assembly- were critical of BAA's call for the construction of three new runways in the South East, all at airports owned by BAA.

The Forum's view is that although some additional runway development is necessary, the Government needs to take a more sustainable approach to air travel growth and should also be placing greater emphasis on regional airports taking more traffic originating from their regions. Together these polices would reduce the scale of runway and other airport development needed in the South East.

Cllr Keith Mitchell, Chairman of the Advisory Forum and Chairman of the South East of England's Regional Planning Committee, said: "The Government appears to be placing too much emphasis on providing more runways in the wider South East. The reality is that many of the people who make journeys from South East airports don't live within the South East. Therefore if we simply increase the South East's runway capacity, we will be encouraging even more people to travel to the South East to travel. This will divert jobs and investment from the originating regions and increase unnecessarily congestion and pollution in the wider South East."

Cllr Roy Davis of the East of England Regional Assembly, reflecting the Government's own regional policy, said: "We believe the Government should be doing more to boost the role of regional airports outside the South East. The successful development in recent years of new regional services by the budget airlines shows that the market is there. By developing other major airports in the Midlands and the North West, they could ensure shorter connecting journeys for many travellers and boost local economics."

Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London added: "International airports are the focus of economic activity and development pressures. Where new capacity is built, it must support, not undermine, regional policy for London, its neighbouring regions and the rest of the country. Furthermore, any new runway capacity must be serviced by improved public transport from the outset as part of an integrated package. The BAA proposals to scatter new runways amongst its three South East airports does not reflect regional priorities and continues the 'predict and provide' approach to air transport planning. It should be noted that the welcome Government commitment to the air industry paying its full environmental cost is not reflected in the SERAS consultation forecasts of growth. A lower rate of growth would be more consistent with the principles of sustainable development and would render BAA's proposals excessive."

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007