Third runway at Heathrow cleared for takeoff by ministers

[davieG]

The government has approved a third runway at Heathrow to expand UK airport capacity.

Ministers approved the long-awaited decision at a cabinet committee meeting on Tuesday.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling called the decision "truly momentous" and said expansion would support trade and jobs.

However Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson - a vocal opponent of Heathrow - said a third runway was "undeliverable".

The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London doubted whether construction would ever start: "The day when the bulldozers appear is a long way off, if indeed they ever materialise."Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says it's the best deal for Britain

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, also said expanding the west London airport was the wrong decision for both London and the UK.

Greenpeace UK chief John Sauven said a third runway at Heathrow would increase air pollution and "be a waste of time, money and lives".

A wide range of unions and business groups welcomed the decision to expand Heathrow. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said it was "absolutely vital for Britain", while CBI chief Paul Drechsler said it would create jobs and boost economic growth.

Heathrow management said the airport was ready to deliver a third runway that was "fair, affordable and secures the benefits of expansion for the whole of the UK".

Live: Airport expansion decision

What happens next?

Why expansion is taking so long

Is new runway more important post-Brexit?

How the cost of delays stacks up

Death sentence for Heathrow villages

Expanding airport capacity in the South East of England has been a political hot potato for many years, which is why successive governments have attempted to duck the issue.

Although Heathrow has always been the favourite among businesses, it has attracted the most opposition from MPs with constituencies near the airport or under flight paths.

'Catastrophic'

A study last year led by Sir Howard Davies recommended a third runway at Heathrow, but other options included a new runway at Gatwick or extending one of Heathrow's existing runways.

Zac Goldsmith, the Tory MP for Richmond Park, had threatened to resign if Heathrow expansion was approved and called the announcement "catastrophic". He is expected to make a statement later on Tuesday.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, whose Hayes and Harlington constituency includes Heathrow, said the announcement was the start, rather than the end, of the process.

"It beggars belief that it has taken ministers over a year since the publication of the Davies report to even make that start," he said. "There is no justification for dithering on this scale."

Education Secretary Justine Greening, another vocal critic of Heathrow expansion, is expected to give her reaction to her constituents in Putney, south-west London, later on Tuesday.

 

Last week, Prime Minister Theresa May moved to head off possible Cabinet resignations by giving ministers some freedom to speak out against the decision.

 

Analysis: Simon Jack, business editor

 

We have a long way to go before we see the proverbial shovels in the ground - there will be legal and planning challenges aplenty to come. However, with today's decision to recommend a third runway, this government has arrived at a point its predecessors failed to. From beating ourselves up for not being able to build anything, the UK is suddenly building everything.

 

Heathrow was chosen because of the extra boost it gives to the UK economy, but it is not the only mammoth project out there. After a last-minute wobble, the £14bn Hinkley Point nuclear power station was given the green light, while the biggest project of them all is coming down the track fast.

Const

ruction on the £42bn HS2 is scheduled to begin next year - and that is probably not all. Chancellor Philip Hammond has hinted he may reveal some moderate borrowing to fund targeted infrastructure spending in his Autumn Statement next month. It's enough to make the Victorians sit up and take notice.

If projections for a fairly sharp post-Brexit slowdown in the economy next year are correct then we may need this spending boost. If these projects proceed on time, there is something else we will need: people to build all this stuff. With unemployment close to historic lows, it's not clear we have enough. Like the Victorians did, it seems very likely we will need to look abroad to find the workers for our golden age of infrastructure - and that, post-Brexit, will present a political rather than an engineering challenge

 

Proposed Flight Paths

Current Flight Paths

A public consultation will now be held on the effects of airport expansion before the government makes a final decision as part of a national policy statement on aviation.

MPs will then vote on that decision in the winter of 2017-18. It is unlikely that any new runway capacity would be operational before 2025

 

Constrction is not likely to begin until 2020 or 2021, the Airports Commission has said.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways owner IAG, welcomed the decision to expand Heathrow but added: "The government's directive to cap customer charges at today's level is fundamental. Heathrow is the world's most expensive hub airport so it's critical that new capacity is affordable."

His counterpart at Virgin Atlantic, Craig Kreeger, described the announcement as an exciting opportunity to radically transform airline competition at the UK's main airport". The airline would strive to ensure that passengers were not "overburdened by paying for runways and facilities that won't be open until the mid-2020s".

[MPH]

I think its times like this that Britain is starting to be effected by its size....

[Fox92]

There's ages to go before a vote on it. And May has already changed her opinion, as she used to be against a third runway.

 

I think it's good for the economy and creating more jobs etc but then again I don't live in London... If HS2 is going to be this great success they want it to be/expect it to be then why not expand Birmingham which is one of the busiest airports outside London??

[Trav Le Bleu]

No doubt they will put a toll on the M25 Heathrow tunnel.

[Barky]

Wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't happen and the politicians are still earning a wage for holding this same debate in ten years time.

[Darkon84]

34 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

There's ages to go before a vote on it. And May has already changed her opinion, as she used to be against a third runway.

 

I think it's good for the economy and creating more jobs etc but then again I don't live in London... If HS2 is going to be this great success they want it to be/expect it to be then why not expand Birmingham which is one of the busiest airports outside London??

 

Definitely this. Birmingham should be improved and expanded before looking at an expansion to Heathrow, especially HS2 turns out to be as good as we are all told it will be. Plus, with it being more central to the whole of the country, it makes things easier for everyone.

[pSinatra]

Watched an interview last night with Michael O'Leary (Ryanair boss) who said it's long overdue, that it will be 10 years until it's built & that it won't cope with increased demand when it is finally up & running.  It seems they've spent far too long debating whether it should be built or not, when it was always going to happen.

[Webbo]

27 minutes ago, Darkon84 said:

 

Definitely this. Birmingham should be improved and expanded before looking at an expansion to Heathrow, especially HS2 turns out to be as good as we are all told it will be. Plus, with it being more central to the whole of the country, it makes things easier for everyone.

Why would a foreigner want to fly to Birmingham to catch a train to London when they could just as easily fly there direct?

[Darkon84]

4 minutes ago, Webbo said:

Why would a foreigner want to fly to Birmingham to catch a train to London when they could just as easily fly there direct?

It's not just tourists that use planes is it? In terms of business, flying to Birmingham, staying there and using the train down to London may well turn out to be cheaper than flying direct in to London and paying for accommodation down there. It's just another option that's all.

Do you disagree that Birmingham should be considered instead of Heathrow then?

[Webbo]

Just now, Darkon84 said:

It's not just tourists that use planes is it? In terms of business, flying to Birmingham, staying there and using the train down to London may well turn out to be cheaper than flying direct in to London and paying for accommodation down there. It's just another option that's all.

Why would a business man, time is money.

[Darkon84]

Just now, Webbo said:

Why would a business man, time is money.

Well from personal experience when I've worked away, I've not been put up in city centres in either Stuttgart or Munich, though travel arrangements have been made for me. When away, it's not always the case that full days are worked, you may only have a meeting or 2 to be a part of. The whole time is money cliché is played out. You're better than that Webbo.

[leicsmac]

What Webbo says is a sad reality unfortunately, along with far too many people thinking London is the centre of the universe. Which means, by direction of money and policy, it does actually become so.

[davieG]

What will be the difference in time travelling from Heathrow to Central London compared to Birmingham to Central London via HS2? Not a lot I suspect.

[Webbo]

36 minutes ago, Darkon84 said:

 

Do you disagree that Birmingham should be considered instead of Heathrow then?

I dunno, I don't live near Heathrow or Gatwick nor is it a subject I know a lot about. The govt have commissioned studies that say Heathrow is the best option, even though politically it is the least desirable. If they are going ahead with it despite the trouble it'll cause you have to assume there's a good argument in favour.

 

Shame about Boris's island that would have solved everything but there must have a been a good reason against it.

[Buce]

4 minutes ago, davieG said:

What will be the difference in time travelling from Heathrow to Central London compared to Birmingham to Central London via HS2? Not a lot I suspect.

 

Time travel is obviously faster, Davey..

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Buce said:

 

Time travel is obviously faster, Davey..

By the time they've built them time travel will probably be available.

[David Hankey]

Successive Governments and Ministers have shied away from making a decision on this issue to the detriment of the country and our economy.

 

For God's sake now a decision has been made, BUILD IT!!

[Buce]

Just now, David Hankey said:

Successive Governments and Ministers have shied away from making a decision on this issue to the detriment of the country and our economy.

 

For God's sake now a decision has been made, BUILD IT!!

 

Whether it's to the country's detriment or not, is a question of perspective.

 

And there is more to life than money.

[David Hankey]

It seems to me that we have a Government leader now who is prepared to take the plane by the wings and do something positive. For far too long our politicians have skirted around this topic many simply because they don't want to appear to take an unpopular stance. Tough decisions need to be taken by politicians, that's why they are in Government.

[Darkon84]

36 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I dunno, I don't live near Heathrow or Gatwick nor is it a subject I know a lot about. The govt have commissioned studies that say Heathrow is the best option, even though politically it is the least desirable. If they are going ahead with it despite the trouble it'll cause you have to assume there's a good argument in favour.

 

Shame about Boris's island that would have solved everything but there must have a been a good reason against it.

 

I can't claim to be an expert myself, though I have a friend who lived at the end of the runway at Stanwell Moor and he always said it was never as intrusive as some of the campaigners make out. Obviously it's not ideal, but it's something he learnt to live with. Whenever I was down there, I never found it particularly bad, though I guess we were usually a bit drunk  It probably won't go ahead anyway. Boris's island would have been something to behold, if not simply for the engineering side of it. Though Kansai International airport, the offshore airport at Osaka is sinking, whoops!

[leicsmac]

Incheon airport just outside Seoul was similarly built on reclaimed land offshore. Its bloody brilliant, though doing a similar thing in the East Anglia/Kent area would probably be...interesting.

[lgfualol]

Luton needs expanding. Awful crowded airport and you have to fight for overpriced sandwiches.

[Barky]

1 hour ago, David Hankey said:

It seemsthe nto me that we have a Government leader now who iis prepared to take the plane by the wings and do something positive. For far too long our politicians have skirted around this topic many simply because they don't want to appear to take an unpopular stance. Tough decisions need to be taken by politicians, that's why they are in Government.

Five years before shovels In the ground and every opportUnity for the decision to be reveresed IN tge meantime seems much more like a case of weak leadership kicking an overkicked can down a road that seemingly has no end to me.

[Strokes]

2 hours ago, Buce said:

 

Whether it's to the country's detriment or not, is a question of perspective.

 

And there is more to life than money.

Like sovereignty 

[Parafox]

3 hours ago, Webbo said:

Why would a business man, time is money.

Not all businesses exist in London.