The British government’s independent watchdog on sustainable development has asked that the government of the United Kingdom to “completely rethink” its aviation policy and shelve plans to expand Heathrow Airport and Stansted Airport.

The Sustainable Development Commission, chaired by Sir Jonathon Porritt, said “there are big question marks over the environmental and economic arguments underpinning the proposals for British airport expansion,” the website guardian.co.uk has reported.

The Sustainable Development Commission and the Institute for Public Policy Research have been examining the country’s aviation policy for a year.

The Sustainable Development Commission warned that the British government would face a series of legal challenges if it did not hold an independent review of its 2003 aviation white paper, which sanctioned new runways at Heathrow, Stansted and other airports.

Hugh Raven, a member of the Sustainable Development Commission was quoted as saying: “A lot of basic data upon which important decisions will be made is heavily contested. Our recommendation is that an independent assessment is undertaken. The Sustainable Development Commission is not in the business of launching legal challenges, but there may well be other key stakeholders who are.”

The Sustainable Development Commission’s report went on to warn the government: “The unresolved debate over the environmental and economic impacts of aviation is not in the interest of the government, the public, or the aviation industry. It undermines the government’s plans for aviation, delays decision-making, and diverts the efforts of the government and the industry to mitigate the environmental impacts of aviation.”

According to the report, some economic arguments behind airport expansion, such as the financial value of transfer passengers who spend a short time in the United Kingdom, are “fundamentally grey.”

The government has claimed, among other things, that a third runway at Heathrow would boost the economy of the United Kingdom by £5 billion.

The report by the influential watchdog added that “the integrity of environmental data is also in doubt, amid disputes over the impact of noise and air pollution on communities near airports.”

The Sustainable Development Commission, while demanding a review of the government’s aviation policy, recommended that a special commission be set up with four tasks:

* To re-examine the economic, social and environmental costs of aviation.
* Start talks with the public and “key stakeholders.”
* Recommend changes to the government’s aviation white paper.
* Encourage action in areas where both sides of the debate agree on a way forward, such as new technologies.

The report suggested that the review could be carried out by the government’s Sciencewise centre, which is a part of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and that it should contribute to a new aviation policy to be published by 2011.

In 2007, the Department for Transport had forecast a doubling of air travel in the United Kingdom to 465 million passengers a year by 2030.

The government is expected to allow a third runway at Heathrow, during the summer, while it is planning inquiry into lifting a passenger cap at Stansted.

Heathrow, located in London, is the principal and biggest airport serving the United Kingdom. It is also Europe’s busiest airport for passenger traffic, and handles more international passenger traffic than any other airport in the world.

London Stansted Airport is a large passenger airport located in the Uttlesford District of the English county of Essex, about 30 miles (48 km) north-east of London. Stansted is a hub for a number of major European low-cost airlines. It is the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom and is the third largest airport serving the London area after Heathrow and Gatwick.

The British Airports Authority (BAA), the largest airport group in the United Kingdom, argues that there is an “urgent need” for new runways at Heathrow and Stansted.