Progress note presented to the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee: September 2005
Introduction
1. This note summarises key developments since the last HACC meeting in July.
2. Further background material is on the DfT website: www.dft.gov.uk/aviation/projectheathrow
Air Quality
3. The programme of review on which the Air Quality technical Panels have been working over the last year (see earlier DfT reports) is now in its latter stages.
4. A joint Panel meeting has been set up for mid-October to review the findings, and the Panels will be producing a full report over the next few months.
5. The Panel report will discuss the pollutants of concern; the relative contributions of different sources; the extent to which earlier assumptions are endorsed or qualified in the light of the Panels' work; and recommendations on the approach to be used in 2006 to re-assess the predicted air quality impacts of Heathrow operations in future years.
6. A Peer Review process has been established, under the chairmanship of Professor Bernard Silverman (Head of St Peter's College, Oxford). The members are: Professor Ian Poll, (Cranfield University), Dr Roy Colville (Imperial College) and Stephen Boughton (retired corporate lawyer). Their task will be to review the work of the Technical Panels and report on whether their work has been unbiased and fair in terms of establishing a technical basis for DfT to carry out future assessments of air quality impacts.
7. An introductory meeting was held on 22 September, and the Peer Review Panel will aim to complete its work by the end of November, to give time for any recommendations to be taken into account in the final report of the AQ technical panels at the end of this year.
8. The DfT expects to make the Panel report publicly available in due course.
Mixed Mode/Noise
9. Work by NATS to identify an acceptable 'concept of operations' for mixed mode - in principle - is nearly complete and will be the subject of a joint DfT/CAA/BAA/NATS meeting in October.
10. The way in which mixed mode might be operated at Heathrow will have implications for the layout of the airport, and possible need for additional infrastructure, such as aircraft stands, and surface access. These issues are under active consideration by BAA.
11. The next step will be to develop a range of possible scenarios for mixed mode and to commission the CAA to assess the likely noise impacts, and the extent to which the considerations set out in the White Paper can be satisfied.
12. Scenarios that are considered worth pursuing further will then be assessed by DfT for air quality impacts early in 2006, informed by the outcome of the air quality technical work.
13. The proposed public consultation exercise in 2006 will draw on all of this work and seek views on possible options, including the retention or otherwise of the Cranford Agreement and westerly preference.
Surface Access
Rail
14. The report commissioned by the SRA to review the business case for AirTrack was delivered in July and has been discussed with BAA. The scheme continues to look sound, but issues remain over how it might be progressed and funded. These will be considered further over the next few months.
15. Discussion continues with BAA on the Crossrail scheme, including the likely service pattern and potential interface with AirTrack. The period for petitioning against the Bill has closed, and the Bill is expected to be in Select Committee from November, possibly up to mid 2006.
16. Both AirTrack and Crossrail schemes will be taken into account, without prejudice, in the forward PSDH assessment work.
Roads
17. Work continues within DfT and BAA on the development of road traffic models to ensure that the impacts of a range of possible surface access scenarios can be tested. DfT is enhancing the Highways Agency's M25 rapid widening model to ensure fitness for PSDH purposes.
18. DfT is expecting further considered advice from BAA shortly on options, so that work on prioritising packages for detailed assessment can begin.
19. Forward work will draw on technical discussions with BAA and the Highways Agency on possible road engineering and traffic management measures on the strategic road network, and further work carried out within BAA on the likely configuration of the airport under possible mixed mode or third runway scenarios.
