Government delays Heathrow expansion decision

The government has delayed its decision on whether or not to give the go-ahead to controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow until January next year.

In a move likely to further fuel speculation that the cabinet is divided on the issue, transport secretary Geoff Hoon said that he had delayed the final decision, which had been expected later this month, until early next year to allow proper consideration of the evidence.

In a written statement to parliament, Hoon said: "The 2003 White Paper The Future of Air Transport made clear that given the economic benefits to the UK, the government supports the further development of Heathrow by adding a third runway and exploring the scope for making greater use of the existing runways, subject to meeting strict local conditions on air quality, noise and improving public transport access."

However, he added that the most recent consultation on the planned expansion had received 70,000 responses and that he was aware that "there are strong views across a range of interests."

He said that to give "proper consideration to the evidence" the final announcement to the House would now not be made until January 2009.

Reports in The Telegraph cited government sources as saying that Hoon still wanted the third runway to be built and that the delay was simply a move to allow ministers to consider technical aspects of the plan.

However, the move will be taken as an indication that the government could be having second thoughts about the proposed expansion in the face of a threatened back bench rebellion on the issue and growing criticism from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and green groups.

Speaking to the BBC, Conservative shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said that "opposition to a third runway is gathering momentum."

"I suspect this postponement is an indication that Gordon Brown is finally starting to realise that he is on the wrong side of the debate on Heathrow," she added. "We need to make Heathrow better, not bigger, and the best way to do that is to provide a high-speed rail alternative to thousands of short-haul flights now contributing to the overcrowding problems at the airport."

Richard Dyer, aviation campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said that the delay provided further evidence that the government was "getting the wobbles" over the final decision.

"It is well known that there is conflict within the cabinet about the proposals, and we've also seen that growing numbers of MPs are opposed to expansion," he said.

The government's final decision is likely to rest on whether or not the proposed expansion and increase in number of flights from 480,000 a year to more than 700,000 results in a breach of EU rules on air and noise pollution.

The government's own watchdog, the Environment Agency, has expressed concerns that the rules would be breached if a third runway were built, while green groups have claimed any expansion would undermine the government's ability to meet carbon emission reduction targets.

However, airport operator BAA, which maintains that a third runway is essential if Heathrow is to continue to compete with other European hubs, has said that it will reduce the number of flights from the airport if an independent body rules that EU air and noise pollution standards are being breached.