After a nine month public enquiry, the Government has given the go-ahead for a second runway at Manchester Airport.
The development – the first full-length runway to be built in Britain for 20 years – will allow the airport to handle up to 30m passengers a year by 2005, double the present total.
Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, environment secretary John Gummer said the scheme would be a boost for Manchester and the whole of the North West, creating thousands of jobs.
Transport secretary Sir George Young added that the airport had put together an impressive package of proposals to reduce the runway’s environmental impact. Local pressure groups had campaigned hard against the proposal, claiming it would affect up to 1,000 acres of greenbelt land.
Under the planning permission, Altrincham Road will be closed at Styal. It will not be diverted through National Trust land.
EGi News 16/01/97
