§ Mr. HaselhurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has considered the responses to the consultation on his proposals for aircraft departure routes from Stansted; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChannonWe received many helpful replies to the consultation document sent out on 16 December 1987. We are grateful to all those who responded.
For air traffic control reasons the route structure is needed this summer. But many of those consulted have raised questions which cannot be resolved before then. I have therefore decided to introduce the proposed routes on 7 April on a provisional basis, with a few changes to take into account some of the more straightforward comments which we have received. I shall continue the consultation through a small working party with local representation to see whether the revised routes can be improved in 1989.
Our objectives will continue to be to establish a route structure which will be adequate for the traffic expected as the airport develops, which will safely and efficiently integrate with the air traffic patterns in the London terminal manoeuvring area (the air space serving all the London airports), which will avoid heavily populated areas as far as practicable, and which will give local people and local authorities reasonable certainty for many years to come of those areas which are likely to be overflown.
My noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for aviation will write to my hon. Friend and to other hon. Members with a constituency interest, local authorities and the airport consultative committee, with copies of large-scale maps showing the provisional routes.