Roskill Commission

Roskill Commission
Name	Roskill Commission
Established	1968
Dissolved	1971
Purpose	Airport site selection for United Kingdom aviation policy
Location	United Kingdom
Chair	E. J. R. Roskill
Report	Third London Airport Report (1971)

Roskill Commission The Roskill Commission was a UK statutory inquiry established to recommend a site for a new principal airport serving London and southern England. Chaired by E. J. R. Roskill, the inquiry collected evidence from airlines, local authorities, transport bodies and environmental organizations before producing a majority recommendation in 1971. Its work intersected with debates in the House of Commons, planning policy of the Ministry of Transport (United Kingdom), and disputes involving regional interests such as Kent and Essex.

Background and establishment

Concern about capacity at Heathrow Airport and the rapid growth of the commercial fleets of carriers including British Overseas Airways Corporation, British European Airways, and later British Airways led to debates in parliamentary committees and among civil servants. Preceding studies such as the Roskill's predecessors and reports by the Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom) had examined options including expansion at Gatwick Airport and construction at coastal sites used by RAF bases. The Cabinet, influenced by ministers from the Conservative Party (UK) and the Labour Party (UK), established the inquiry via an order in council to consider long-term needs amid forecasts produced by organisations like the Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom).

Membership and mandate

The commission was chaired by Sir Edward John "Ted" Roskill, a retired judge associated with the High Court of Justice. Other members included representatives with backgrounds in law, aviation, planning and local government drawn from institutions such as the Royal Town Planning Institute, the National Coal Board, and the British Airports Authority. Its remit, set by the Secretary of State for Transport, required assessment of potential locations, environmental impact on areas including the North Downs and the Thames Estuary, transport links involving the British Rail network and motorway proposals like the M25 motorway, and socio-economic implications for counties such as Surrey and Kent.

Evidence, hearings, and submissions

The commission conducted public hearings in venues across southern England, receiving submissions from national carriers including Pan American World Airways, regional authorities such as Essex County Council and Kent County Council, and civic groups including The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Countryside Commission. Technical evidence was provided by the Aeronautical Research Council and consultants linked to firms like Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners. Witnesses ranged from the Institute of Transport, civil aviation planners from the International Civil Aviation Organization, to local landowners and parish councils. Transcripts recorded testimony on runway orientation influenced by prevailing winds measured by the Met Office, noise assessments referencing studies used at Heathrow Terminal 3, and forecasts using data from the International Air Transport Association. The commission also examined military considerations related to former Royal Air Force sites and shipping safety in the Thames Estuary with input from the Trinity House.

Recommendations and report

In its 1971 report, the commission presented a majority recommendation for a site at Cublington in Buckinghamshire, arguing for advantages in runway configuration, reduced approach overflights of densely populated suburbs near Heathrow and potential rail connections to the Great Western Railway and West Coast Main Line. Minority reports favoured alternative proposals including expansion at Maplin Sands in Essex and upgrading Gatwick Airport. The commission offered analyses of cost estimates prepared with reference to projects like London Docklands redevelopment and referenced environmental evaluations that cited habitats protected under policies akin to those later administered by English Nature.

Reactions and impact

The majority recommendation provoked immediate responses from Members of Parliament representing constituencies in Buckinghamshire, organisations such as the National Farmers' Union (United Kingdom), and conservation groups including the Council for the Protection of Rural England. The proposal was debated at length in the House of Commons, and ministers in the Conservative government of Edward Heath weighed economic benefits against local opposition. Public protests, petitions from parish councils, and lobbying by opponents echoed campaigns seen in disputes over projects like the M3 motorway and South Bank developments. The cabinet ultimately rejected the Cublington recommendation, opting instead to pursue the Maplin Sands plan before that too was abandoned under subsequent fiscal and strategic reassessments led by the Secretary of State for the Environment.

Legacy and subsequent developments

The inquiry influenced later aviation planning, shaping decisions about incremental expansion at Gatwick Airport and capacity management at Heathrow Airport and contributing to the framework for later reviews such as the Airports Commission (2012–2015). Its record informed environmental assessment practices later codified by legislation like the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and institutions including the Environment Agency (England and Wales). The Roskill inquiry remains referenced in scholarly works on infrastructure planning involving authors affiliated with London School of Economics and case studies taught at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. Its controversy exemplifies tensions among transport planning, regional politics represented in Parliament of the United Kingdom, and environmental conservation voiced by bodies such as The Wildlife Trusts.

Category:Public inquiries in the United Kingdom Category:Aviation history of the United Kingdom