Labour moots breaking Heathrow third runway ‘doom loop’ with new powers
The Labour government is exploring how to break Heathrow’s third runway “doom loop” via new parliamentary powers that would fast-track big projects.
Ministers are examining whether legislation could be enacted to enable the UK’s biggest hub to bypass parts of the planning process.
The proposals, first reported by the Times, would also apply to other transport projects, as well as energy and new housing developments.
They have been put forward via a report by the Labour Together think tank, which is led by the former Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Jonathan Ashworth. It has close ties to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
In a foreword, the government’s “national growth champion” Dan Tomlinson MP said Heathrow had been the “clearest case” of planning issues plaguing UK infrastructure projects.
Tomlinson said “well-intentioned rules and regulations” had been layered on top of each other, leading to stretched timelines.
“We now have a system where doing nothing is safer than doing something, and where process has eclipsed purpose.”
Using Heathrow as a “symbolic example,” the report highlights three constraints that should be tackled “head on.”
New legislation would slim legal risk
Regulatory drag and risk aversion due to the long Development Consent Order (DCO) process could be addressed via a “bespoke Heathrow Expansion Public Bill.”
This would allow parliament to use legislation to approve certain projects, effectively eliminating the legal risk of a judicial review.
The Public Bill would also include strict political time-tabling, with ministers able to take direct action to fast-track the approval process.
Heathrow’s third runway has been in the works for decades, marred by hurdles including a court challenge from London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced her support for the project in a growth speech earlier this year that brought it back into the spotlight. An application for an entirely privately-financed scheme is expected to be submitted to government this summer.
There remain concerns over the scale of such a project, which would involve relocating a huge section of the M25 and demolishing hundreds of nearby homes.
Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary dubbed it “HS2 all over again” in an interview with CityAM last year.