HC Deb 26 January 2004 vol 417 cc35-6W
John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what compensation will be made available to those residents living close to Edinburgh airport who face a loss in their property value in advance of the proposed construction of a second runway as outlined in the Aviation White Paper; [149667]

(2) if he will make a statement on the statutory blight provisions that will be available to residents living (a) close to and (b) affected by the planned expansion of Edinburgh airport as outlined in the Aviation White Paper. [149668]

Mr. McNulty

The White Paper recommends that people should have access to some form of redress at beyond the current statutory provisions, for example to help them relocate before any development takes place. Arrangements are being made for non-statutory schemes to be brought forward locally by the airports operators.

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment was made of the case for protection of the ancient Catstane site north of the existing Edinburgh airport runway in the formulation of the proposals for a second runway as outlined in the Aviation White Paper; and for what reason no mention was made of the site in the White Paper. [147833]

Mr. McNulty

Carlowrie Cat Stane is one of a number of Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the vicinity of Edinburgh Airport that were identified in the optioneering and appraisal studies that underpinned the Scottish Consultation Document. The Cat Stane was taken into account, alongside a range of other factors, in the design and appraisal of the options for a new runway at Edinburgh and the development of White Paper policy. The ancient monument would ultimately lie between a new runway and the existing one and is therefore unlikely to be affected by development. The necessary protection of the Cat Stane will be addressed in the master plan for the airport and any future planning application for the development of a new runway.

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