Action Briefing Feb 2003 - Mar 2004
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Airhead

On 16th December 2003, the Department for Transport (DfT) published its Aviation White Paper, in which the Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling recommended extensive airport expansion across the UK, including a second runway and extension of the existing runway at Birmingham International Airport.

Thankfully, the option of building a colossal new airport between Coventry and Rugby has been rejected, owing, the Paper claims, to the "almost uniform opposition to this proposal" within the region. Well done to everyone in Warwickshire who mounted and sustained the campaign against this appalling proposal.

But the Warwickshire threat continues to exert an unwelcome and lingering influence over the airport debate in the Midlands, which at times was more of a "Save Birmingham Airport!" campaign than anything else, especially amongst the local media and business community. The not-in-my-back-yard mentality is assumed to be so pervasive that any opposition to growth at BIA was, and in some quarters still is, interpreted as support for the Warwickshire option. But, as I argue elsewhere in this issue of Action Briefing, arguing over site preferences is premature to say the least. Look deeper into the current forecasts of growth in air travel and the distorted economics that support them, and a very different set of priorities emerge.

Controversial
Controversially, the White Paper endorses 'The Birmingham Alternative', the Airport Company's "environmentally friendly" vision of a second runway, despite this option never having been included in the formal consultation documents. Published in October 2002, the Alternative proposed a 2,000m long (shorter by 600m) second runway, requiring 290 hectares of land, sparing 109 properties and avoiding the loss of Bickenhill Meadow Site of Special Scientific Interest and Bickenhill Conservation Area. Only smaller and quieter types of aircraft would use the new short runway and it would not operate at night.

However, it would still expose 81,000 people to unacceptable levels of aircraft noise by 2020. Even BIA's own figures, which take account of "long term expectation of noise improvement", state that 103,000 people would be affected.

BIA's existing runway is already close to capacity during peak times and will have reached it within the next five to six years. Extending the runway would allow larger and more fully laden aircraft to fly longer distances non-stop, creating additional noise disturbance for people under the present flight path. In addition, BIA's aim of increasing the number of off-peak movements to the same levels as during the peak times will put up air traffic volume still further.

The main purpose of the second runway would be to allow additional services at peak time, not to act as an alternative to the existing runway, so there will be little relief for people living under the existing flight path. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the second runway, if built, will not be itself extended in future.

Permission
I cannot stress enough that the White Paper is not the last word on airport expansion; it does not grant permission for, nor rule out, any particular development. BIA have yet to draw up their draft Master Plan, submit a detailed planning application and present a viable business case for the second runway to justify the private investment required. The project could flounder at any stage over the next 10-12 years so there is plenty of scope for a concerted campaign on our part to prevent both the second runway and extension of the present runway.

In the meantime, we desperately need an extended national debate on air transport policy. As the White Paper has set no upper limit on how much additional air travel the Government is prepared to promote, it's up to us to tell Mr. Darling that enough is enough.

James Botham

Hard copies of the Aviation White Paper (priced £25) and/or a free summary document can be ordered by telephoning 0845 100 5554. The full document can be viewed on line at www.dft.gov.uk/aviation/whitepaper/index.htm Copies of 'The Birmingham Alternative" are available from BIA on 0121 767 5511.