U.K. government approves plan for 3rd runway at Heathrow

By Sarah Lyall
Published: January 15, 2009

LONDON: The British government announced Thursday that it had approved a multibillion-pound plan to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport, defying an angry wave of opposition from environmentalists, public officials and communities across West London.
The project still needs planning approval and, depending on how long that took, would most likely be completed between 2015 and 2020.
The transportation secretary, Geoff Hoon, said that without the third runway, Heathrow - already reviled for its frequent delays, dreary terminals and periodically chaotic conditions on the ground - would lose business to airports with more runways in places, including Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam. This would make Britain less competitive at a time of economic trouble, the government says.
By coincidence, a German court cleared the way Thursday for work to begin on a fourth runway at Frankfurt Airport, another European alternative to Heathrow.
"Doing nothing would only give an advantage to its competitors," Hoon told members of Parliament. "Additional capacity at Heathrow is critical for the country's long-term economical prosperity."

Many airlines, businesses and union leaders support the plan, saying the new runway would lead to the creation of thousands of jobs and help the economy by some £7 billion, or about $10 billion, a year. Business travelers regularly say in surveys how much they hate using Heathrow, which is running at 99 percent capacity and where a single delay can throw off schedules for the rest of the day.
A third runway would allow 125,000 more flights to take off and land each year, the government says.
But building the third runway would require the demolition of 700 homes and the razing of an entire village, Sipson. Residents say they do not know where they will go when their houses no longer exist.
People in West London, many of whom already resent living under Heathrow's flight paths, say the project would drastically increase noise pollution, making it even harder to sleep in the early mornings, when flights begin arriving. And environmentalists say the additional air traffic would inevitably lead to a huge increase in air pollution.
The government has promised to ensure that the expanded airport would meet all European noise and carbon-emission regulations. It has also pledged to study the possibility of building new high-speed railway links between Heathrow and London, and Heathrow and the north.
Celebrities, including the actress Emma Thompson, have rallied against the plan, some buying parcels of land that the government will need to build the runway. A range of elected officials, including London's mayor, Boris Johnson, and many members of Parliament from the governing Labour Party, are also opposed, as are legislators representing neighborhoods in West London.
The issue is extremely emotional. Parliament erupted in angry shouting as Hoon announced the government's decision, particularly when it became clear that the matter would not be put to a Parliamentary vote.
One Labour legislator, John McDonnell, was so incensed that he rushed out of his seat, seized the mace - a long 17th-century ornamental club that represents the authority of the monarch and the speaker of Parliament - and furiously set it down on the Labour benches.
"It's a disgrace to the democracy of this country," he shouted.
Manhandling the mace is considered gross misconduct. McDonnell was immediately declared to be in contempt of Parliament and suspended for five days. He had to leave the chamber immediately, and was cut off by the deputy speaker when he tried to apologize for his behavior.
Meanwhile, Johnson pledged to instigate legal proceedings against the government to block the project.
"This is a truly devastating blow for millions of Londoners whose lives are now set to be blighted by massive increases in air pollution and noise," he said in a statement.
"The government has singularly failed to deliver a convincing case for expansion throughout, or adequate solutions for the nightmare problems it would cause."
In any case, the project will have to overcome many more hurdles. It will still have to go through the regular planning process, which means applying to the local government in Hounslow, near the airport, for permission. Officials there are vehemently opposed to the plan, and if they reject it, that will prompt a long public inquiry.
More than 140 members of Parliament, many from the Labour Party, have signed a motion calling on the government to consider alternatives. The Tory opposition, for example, favors building high-speed railroad lines between London and other British cities, since much of the air traffic at Heathrow is made up of domestic flights.
Before he was ejected from Parliament, McDonnell, whose constituency includes the airport, said "the government's announcement is not the end of the battle against the third runway - it is just the beginning."
He added: "Opponents will use every mechanism possible to prevent the runway going ahead, including campaigns in Parliament, in the courts, in the planning process, in the media and, if necessary, in direct action."