Agenda item

(1)               The report put forward a proposed response to the Department for Transport’s (DfT) current consultation on a draft Aviation Policy Framework.  The draft response drew on the principles set out in the Council’s discussion document Bold Steps for Aviation.

(2)       The final Aviation Policy Framework shaped by the current consultation would be a high level strategy that set out Government’s overall objectives for aviation and the policies to achieve those objectives.  It would be within the policy framework therefore, that the means of addressing the question of how to ensure retention of UK’s aviation hub status would lie.  The draft consultation indicated that there would be a call for evidence from Government with regard to the specific question due later this year, however following the recent Cabinet reshuffle there had been an announcement that the Government would set up a cross party Independent Commission to look at the issue of hub status.  It was not yet known whether there would be a call for evidence associated with the work of the Commission or not. Indications were the Commission was due to report interim findings by the end of 2013 with final recommendations due mid 2015 post election.  Whatever the eventual solution the Commission recommended in terms of hub status, it must align with the policies set out in the Aviation Policy Framework. 

(3)       There were no revenue or capital financial implications arising from the report as it constituted input to Government policy formation.  The proposed response was aligned to the Council’s Local Transport Plan and accorded with the 20 year transport delivery plan Growth without Gridlock.

(4)               The consultation document stated that its aim was to establish the objectives for UK aviation and the policies to achieve those objectives.  It stated that the final framework would be a high level strategy.  Despite this however, the consultation spends much time dwelling on a number of technical issues such as appropriate noise levels for monitoring.  The consultation dealt with the following topics:-

·                    The benefits of aviation

·                    Climate change impacts

·                    Noise and other local environmental impacts

·                    Working together

·                    Planning

Four main objectives for aviation relating to the topics were proposed within the consultation document and were set out in the report.

(5)       The report summarised KCC’s suggested response to DfT’s Draft Aviation Policy Framework consultation which would form the policy context under which future decisions on UK aviation capacity and how this was provided for would be taken.  The full response was attached as Appendix B to the report.

(6)       During debate Mr Bullock referred to the balancing of International Climate Change obligations with the drive for growth in the Government’s paper on the future of aviation.  Mr Sweetland undertook to review KCC’s response to include the issue of striving to achieve a reasonable balance between aviation growth and climate change implications.  

(7)       RESOLVED that the proposed response to the DfT’s draft Aviation Policy Framework consultation, for consideration by the Cabinet Member in finalising the KCC response to DfT by 31 October, be noted.