Today鈥檚 government decision to back a third runway at Heathrow comes after nearly 50 years of debate about where to expand airport capacity in the South-east
Governments of all political persuasions have been failing to make a decision on how and where to expand the UK鈥檚 airport capacity for the best part of half a century, since the Cublington and Maplin Sands plans were washed away by opposition and the 1970s oil crisis.
But even by these standards, the record of former prime minister David Cameron, who commissioned Howard Davies to examine the evidence in 2012 and then refused to act when, after three years鈥� further delay, Davies recommended expanding Heathrow, is particularly egregious.
Now Theresa May is the latest prime minister wrestle with the issue - and although her cabinet committee has recommended a third runway at Heathrow, it has built in a delay of at least a year before the decision will be finalised, with many commentators saying it could be up to a decade before it will be operational.
UK airport capacity timeline
1968
Harold Wilson鈥檚 Roskill Commission recommends Cublington site in Buckinghamshire
1971
Incoming Edward Heath government opts for Maplin Sands on the Thames Estuary
1974
Project falls with the ejection of Heath from office
1979
Margaret Thatcher decides against building an international airport in favour of expanding existing regional airports
1993
Runway Capacity in the South East study concludes Heathrow expansion is the only way to meet demand, but proposals for new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick are rejected two years later
2003
Future of Air Transport white paper recommends third runway for Heathrow and more runways at Stansted but little subsequent progress
2008
London mayor Boris Johnson proposes airport in the Thames Estuary. The next year, PM Gordon Brown backs a third runway, but, in opposition David Cameron pledges to stop Heathrow plans
2010
Coalition rules out runways at Heathrow, Stansted or Gatwick
2012
Cameron sets up Airports Commission, under Howard Davies, to report after the 2015 election following increasing pressure on the issue
2015
Davies plumps for Heathrow. Cameron promises a decision by the end of the year but changes his mind due to concerns about the impact upon the London mayoral election
2016
24 June: Cameron leaves office after the EU referendum result with no decision made
25 October: Theresa May鈥檚 government approves a third runway for Heathrow but the decision is subject to a long public consultation period followed by a vote in parliament towards the end of 2017.
No comments yet