Third runway for London’s Heathrow
Print Edition
THE British government yesterday gave the go-ahead for a new runway at London’s Heathrow airport despite concerns about pollution, noise and the destruction of homes in the capital’s densely populated western neighborhoods.
The decision comes after years of discussion, study and outrage over the building of the first full runway in the southeast of the country since World War II. Theresa May’s government, reeling from a vote to leave the European Union, was anxious to prove the country was “open for business.” Detractors described the decision as “catastrophic.”
“The step that government is taking today is truly momentous,” Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said. “I am proud that after years of discussion and delay this government is taking decisive action to secure the UK’s place in the global aviation market.”
The government rejected other options to expand airport capacity, including the extension of an existing runway at Heathrow or building a second runway at Gatwick Airport, south of London.
The decision is only the first step, however. The government’s recommendation will be studied further and Parliament will vote in about a year.
Entire communities will be leveled, and the government said compensation and mitigation could cost 2.6 billion pounds (US$3.2 billion).
But the government is unmoved by the concerns.
“This is an important issue for the whole country,” Grayling said. “That is why the government’s preferred scheme will be subject to full and fair public consultation.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan pledged to explore involvement in “any legal process,” as Heathrow already exposes the city to more aircraft noise than Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich and Madrid combined.
Outraged residents argued they had been betrayed by politicians who pledged to block expansion before being put into office — only to change their minds later.
Anti-expansion groups gathered in the village of Harmondsworth, a quintessential English village that dates back to the 6th century. The third runway would level two-thirds of its homes.
Resident Neil Keveran, who has campaigned against Heathrow expansion for years, said the runway construction would be just across the road from his home.
“Nowhere else in Europe do they build their runways directly in the heart of residential areas over their cities, so I don’t see why our quality of life should be any less,” he said.
London and southeast England need more airport capacity to meet the growing demands of business travelers and tourists.
But those in the pathways of the bulldozers don’t see why their homes should be sacrificed, even if the country might need capacity. The issue was so toxic that politicians created an independent commission to weigh the options — and it had decided to expand Heathrow.
It is up to political leaders and lawmakers to make the final decision, and authorities had stalled for months. The upheaval prompted by Britain’s vote to leave the EU pushed the issue back further.
The commission had already rejected other options, such as one backed by former London Mayor Boris Johnson to build a new airport in the Thames Estuary.
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