Heathrow Airport has unveiled three
options for a new runway, saying
each one would be "quicker and
cheaper" than plans for a rival hub
airport.
The airport's submission to the Davies
Commission, which is looking at raising
airport capacity, outlined a runway to the
north, north-west or south-west of the
existing airport.
It said a new runway could be in place by
2029, allowing 260,000 more flights.
Residents living near the airport said the
plans were "frightening".
'Global hub status'
According to Heathrow's submission,
building a new runway would deliver
extra capacity at the airport by 2025-29
and would allow it to operate 740,000
flights a year - up from the current limit
of 480,000.
The plans would "maintain the UK's
global hub status for the foreseeable
future" and "protect the thriving
businesses and plentiful jobs that
surround Heathrow", it said.
Heathrow's preferred option would be to
place a new runway to the north-west or
the south-west of the airport.
This would "deliver a full-length third
runway while minimising the impact on
the local community".
The submission also detailed how a new
westerly runway would help reduce
noise pollution because planes would not
have to fly so low over London.
It predicted that, even with a third
runway, there would be 10-20% fewer
people affected by noise under its new
plans.
The option of building north of the
airport would be the quickest and
cheapest, the airport acknowledged - but
it would also be the noisiest and have
the biggest impact on residential
property.
Each of the options would mean the
compulsory purchase of some properties
and some property demolitions, as well
as potentially major work on the M25.
The submission also outlined the need
for a sixth terminal at Heathrow as part
of the plans - which would enable the
airport to handle 130m passengers a
year, rather than the current figure of
70m.
'Flying pigs'
Stanwell Moor is a village near Heathrow
and one of its councillors said it would
"get completely destroyed" under one of
the options.
"I wasn't totally surprised because we
knew these would be in the pipeline but
it's a pretty desperate situation and
pretty frightening," said Robert Evans.
"The real problem now is the area is
blighted and there will be a period of
uncertainty, people will be anxious
because they bought their homes and
now they find the home isn't the asset
they thought."
Residents' group Heathrow Association
for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Hacan)
said it would fight any proposal for a new
runway "tooth and nail".
Hacan chairman John Stewart said it was
difficult to square Heathrow's claim that
expansion could take place while cutting
noise for residents.
Heathrow chief executive Colin
Matthews said: "After half a century of
vigorous debate but little action, it is
clear the UK desperately needs a single
hub airport with the capacity to provide
the links to emerging economies which
can boost UK jobs, GDP and trade.
"It is clear that the best solution for
taxpayers, passengers and business is to
build on the strength we already have at
Heathrow."
He continued: "Today we are showing
how that vision can be achieved while
keeping the impact on local residents to
an absolute minimum."
Mr Matthews said he had not ruled out a
fourth runway at Heathrow, but said this
would not be needed until at least 2040.
All of the options put forward for three
runways has been designed to evolve to
four runways.
However, Mr Johnson said the proposals
for a new runway at Heathrow "were
politically, environmentally and socially
unacceptable".
"There will be more pigs flying than
aircraft if we are to believe the claim
that three runways at Heathrow will
make less noise than two," he said.
Mr Johnson added the move "would be a
disastrous outcome for Londoners, nor
would it solve our aviation capacity crisis
as a fourth runway would need to be in
the planning process before a third was
even open".
On Monday, the mayor published
proposals for three possible replacement
hubs - an artificial island in the Thames
Estuary dubbed "Boris Island", a major
expansion at Stansted, or an airport at
the Isle of Grain in north Kent.
'Capacity conundrum'
Greenpeace accused the airport of
presenting a "reheated and rehashed"
plan with the same "flawed arguments
that failed so categorically last time
around".
Nic Ferriday from Airport Watch, an
umbrella group for organisations
opposed to airport expansion, said a hub
airport was not as vital to Britain's
economy as some people made out.
"At hub airports, you're talking about
large numbers of people flying into the
airport and then flying out of the airport
- good for duty free, good for business
people who aren't based in London or
the South East, or even in the UK," he
said.
But business groups backed the plans,
including the trade body which
represents Britain's airlines.
The Board of Airline Representatives said
no other proposal so far on airport
capacity could "deliver the UK's hub
airport capacity quicker, at the right cost,
or in the right place for airlines and their
passengers".
The Institute of Directors said expanding
Heathrow was "the best way to solve
Britain's airport capacity conundrum".
The Davies Commission, chaired by Sir
Howard Davies, was set up last year to
examine "the need for additional UK
airport capacity and recommend to
government how this can be met in the
short, medium and long term".
It is expected to recommend options by
the end of this year, but will not submit
its final report until summer 2015 - after
the next general election.
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