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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the status is of the maps and co-ordinates issued by his Department showing public safety zones for Biggin Hill airport; what consultation preceded their publication; under what powers public safety zones are established; and upon what information the designation of the public safety zones is determined. [151995] Mr. Robert Ainsworth: Public safety zones have no basis at present in legislation, although reference to them is included in Department of the Environment Circular 2-92 and they have existed near an increasing number of airports since their introduction over 40 years ago. Following a review of public safety zone policy and its administration, my Department carried out public consultation in 1997-98 on a proposal that public safety zones should be redefined on the basis of risk contour modelling. My hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate, the then Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, announced on 31 July 1998, Official Report, columns 638-39W, that public safety zones would correspond essentially to the areas which might be expected to experience an individual risk of death from aircraft accidents of one in 100,000 per year or greater, based on broad assumptions about the numbers and types of aircraft expected to use the relevant airports in 15 years time. She announced on 15 June 1999, Official Report, column 86W, that public safety zones would be defined on this basis at the other airports for which modelling work suggested that this would be justified. On the same day my Department issued for public consultation a draft circular containing guidance to local planning authorities for considering planning applications arising within public safety zones. My hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin), then the Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, announced on 19 April 2000, Official Report, columns 495-46W, that public safety zones would be established for the first time at Biggin Hill and several other airports. On 26 May 2000 my Department asked local planning authorities to apply the guidance in the draft circular on an interim basis when determining planning applications within these zones. Biggin Hill is one of 26 airports for which public safety zones have so far been established and Ordnance Survey grid co-ordinates issued, based on airports' forecasts of the numbers and types of aircraft expected to use the respective airports in 2015. I hope to issue the final version of the guidance and definitive maps of the zones in the next few months.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

364 c249W; 151995

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Codes of practice Applications Aviation Accidents Airports Local government Planning permission Maps Public participation Safety measures London Biggin Hill Airport

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk