A CAMPAIGN group has released footage of broken promises made by BAA over Heathrow expansion.

The footage has been released by HACAN to mark the beginning of the year in which BAA will be hoping to get the green light from the Government to expand Heathrow.

BAA insisted more than ten years ago it did not want a third runway and that it was committed to retaining runway alternation, the practice where planes landing over London switch runways at 3pm in order to give residents a half day’s break from the noise.

The video footage shows Sir John Egan, at the time the BAA chief executive, making firm promises that BAA did not want a third runway or a 14 lane M25 and supported the retention of runway alternation.

Sir Egan also wrote to residents to say BAA ruled out a third runway.

Just before Christmas 2008 the current director of strategy at BAA, Mike Forster, admitted to the Heathrow Consultative Committee that Egan had lied in order to get Terminal 5 approved.

When asked about Sir John Egan’s promise that BAA did not want a third runway, Foster said, “Well, that’s what he had to say to get permission for Terminal Five”. Towards the end of November BAA made a new promise which the Government is thought to be taking seriously.

On November 27 it said that, if it got permission to expand, it would ask the Government to appoint an independent watchdog to monitor noise and pollution. Colin Matthews, the BAA chief executive, said, ““By calling on an independent assessor to scrutinise the airport’s performance against these limits, we are providing an uncompromising assurance that we will operate Heathrow airport within the limits laid down by government.”

John Stewart, the Chair of HACAN, said, “No number of uncompromising assurances in the world will persuade us to believe anything BAA promises. They have got form. And that form suggests they are incapable of keeping a New Year’s Resolution. We’ve got the pictures to prove it.”

The Government has said it will announce a decision on Heathrow expansion towards the end of January.