Greening confirms Heathrow expansion still ruled out

The Government will not backtrack on its opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, despite increasing pressure to expand the hub airport.

According to the Press Association, Transport Secretary Justine Greening insisted the Government will stick to the coalition agreement’s restrictions on airport expansion.

Answering questions in the Commons yesterday she said the Government would be launching a call for evidence on the growth in demand for flights.

‘The question is not just around the third runway at Heathrow, and we’ve been very clear where we stand on that, but expanding it further would no doubt pose significant challenges to local communities and I think those should be taken extremely seriously,’ she said, according to the PA report.

Greening is also the MP for Putney in South West London, which is affected by aircraft using Heathrow, and before the last election, she campaigned against for Labour’s policy of a third runway.

There has been speculation that the Government has been considering a U-turn over Heathrow expansion, as the option of a new airport in the Thames estuary is increasingly being viewed as too expensive and impractical.

Greening also confirmed that the Government’s plans for the High Speed 2 rail, involving a route from London to Birmingham, are still on track.

To see the PA report on airport expansion, click here.

To see the PA report on HS2, click here.