The UK Government has been accused of squandering the chance to end “years of political dithering” by delaying its decision on airport expansion in the south-east of England.
A report published today by the Commons transport committee urges David Cameron to settle on a location “at the earliest possible opportunity”.
It also calls for a clear timetable for expansion, setting out transparently what work has been commissioned and when it will be completed.
The committee backs a third runway at Heathrow as per the Airports Commission’s final report, with the package of recommended accompanying measures.
Chairwoman Louise Ellman said the government must make up its mind as “doing nothing” meant the UK continued to lose out.
The Labour MP added: “The decision on location is not the end of the process, it is the start of one. Real progress cannot begin until the location is declared.”
The committee said it was not convinced work on environmental issues had to be done in advance of this.
It also found the challenge of improving surface access and devising suitable schemes for compensation for residents in affected communities could also be managed in the pre-construction phase.
The report added: “In fact, a decision on location would give more focus and impetus to this work.
“The creation of the Airports Commission briefly held out the hope that an evidence-based decision would end years of political dithering, but the government has largely squandered this opportunity by delaying its decision and calling for further work.”
Mr Cameron had promised a decision by the end of last year, but it was put back to this summer so an environmental impact assessment could be carried out and the “best possible mitigation measures” considered.
Ms Ellman warned the “months ticking by” constituted “time wasted for the UK’s economic prosperity”.
She added: “Across the world, cities are collectively planning to build more than 50 new runways with capacity to serve one billion additional passenger journeys by 2036.
“The UK’s connectivity with the world’s emerging markets is a major concern.”
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said the case for expansion was clear, but insisted: “It’s vitally important we get the decision right so that it will benefit generations to come.”
She confirmed the work on environmental impacts was expected to conclude by the summer.