Obtaining permission for the expansion

In October 2016, the Government announced, that a third runway, the North West Runway (NWR) was its preferred option for delivering additional runway capacity. It said that a National Policy Statement (NPS), under the provisions of the Planning Act 2008 would be the basis for planning approval ahead of a NWR's construction. In short, government will have to approve the NPS before Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) can make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO).

Airports National Policy Statement - ANPS - Designation

The expansion plans attracted opposition from environmentalists, councils, local residents, and the Mayor of London. At present, the expansion faces an uncertain future after the Court of Appeal on 27 February 2020 said the government's decision to allow it was unlawful. It ruled the expansion illegal over climate change, dismissing all other appeals related to air and noise pollution, traffic, and the multibillion pound cost of the runway. The outcome of the ruling implies that by allowing the expansion to go-head, the UK's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 under the Paris Agreement will not be met.