Pollution safeguards fear over Heathrow expansion

There are "clear inadequacies" in the safeguards against air, noise and climate pollution imposed on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport, London Assembly members have warned.

The Assembly's environment committee said it had "grave concerns" over the environmental conditions put in place by the government for controversial plans for a third runway at the UK's busiest airport.

Building a third runway at the west London airport is set to increase passenger numbers from 67 million to 82 million a year, and potentially up to 135 million, and could increase aircraft noise, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

A report by the Assembly committee warns the safeguards put in place to protect against the impacts of a bigger airport were not currently "fit for purpose". The committee also raised concerns there was no single authority which would ensure Heathrow owners BAA and the airlines complied with the rules.

The environment committee's chairman, Murad Qureshi, said: "Heathrow expansion is a hugely contentious issue which has made many Londoners worry that they will have to cope with even more aircraft noise and poorer air quality. It is therefore vital that the government's environmental conditions are strong enough.

"However, our investigation has raised grave concerns about some of these safeguards, including clear inadequacies in approaches to tackling air pollution levels around Heathrow. We would also question whether the suggested noise benchmark is fit for purpose and if the aviation emissions targets are achievable."

Even without the construction of the controversial third runway, Heathrow's air pollution levels already exceed EU limits, with the airport a hotspot for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter which can both damage people's health.

The committee warned BAA's range of measures, including levies on more polluting aircraft and efforts to reduce congestion on the airfield, were not enough. It said more action was needed to reduce road traffic - which contributes to the pollution - by improving public transport, cutting the cost of the Heathrow Express and potentially introducing road user charging schemes at the airport.

The committee's report also found that while the government had set limits for the noise levels of an expanded airport, the baseline year for the constraint - 2002 - was the last year Concorde flew, distorting the figures. The noise from one Concorde flight is equivalent to 120 Boeing 757s, research has shown. Methods of measuring noise levels of the airport also did not take into account night flights or the busiest time for landings, 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

The report also warned that the government's target for limiting carbon dioxide emissions from UK aviation to 2005 levels by 2050, as part of efforts to slash UK greenhouse gases, was set without "proper analysis" of how it might be achieved. The committee said the government should bring in short, medium and long-term targets for reducing emissions from flying - and give them legal force.