Runway Decision This Week

10.01.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 9th Dec 2006

The Transport Secretary is expected to approve, in principle, a new runway (R3) at Heathrow on Thursday. This expectation is based on the hint given in last week's Pre-Budget Report to which Vincent Cable MP replied as Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor. He said in his reply: "The Chancellor's environmental credentials are not helped by publishing in parallel the Barker report, which is really a property developers' charter, and the Eddington report, which makes an unashamed plea for the expansion of airports."

He added: "a decision to add a third runway would go completely contrary to the Government's declared environmental objective of curbing the growth of CO2 emissions from the aviation sector. There will be a massive battle with both environmental groups and residents concerned over noise, pollution and safety and even if the runway is not due to happen for another decade it will be fought all the way. It is worrying that the Government has also decided to dilute planning controls so that the decision for R3 (and new nuclear power) can be pushed through without local residents having an effective say."