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Anger at Terminal 6 plan for Heathrow
By Ross Lydall And Sam Selner, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 06.06.05Heathrow bosses today published plans to build a sixth terminal at the airport.
The airport's operator BAA said it has to be built to serve the third runway.
But hundreds of houses will be demolished to make way for the runway and the new terminal was condemned by residents.
They said it confirmed their fears that the massive Terminal 5 project, which will be finished in 2008, would not be the last to be built at Heathrow.
John Stewart, chairman of antiexpansion campaign Hacan ClearSkies said: "It would bring even more destruction. It would mean extra land would be needed, more houses destroyed. It would almost be the last nail in the coffin for the existing communities."
He said the Government had "played down" the need for a sixth terminal by not including it in plans last year. "Right from the start campaigners have always said a third runway would be impossible without a sixth terminal," he added. Christine Shilling, of Harmondsworth, and member of the No Third Runway Action Group, said: "My family home where I have lived for more than 30 years could be bulldozed. It is completely immoral."
The third runway will be built between 2015 and 2020 on condition that BAA is able to meet new limits on pollution. If expansion goes ahead the villages of Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington will be affected with as many as
700 homes and a primary school demolished.
Plans for a third runway were given the conditional go-ahead by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling almost a year ago.
But today's proposals are the first indication of exactly where the third runway would be sited.
The original plan would have seen more buildings demolished, including two Grade One-listed buildings, a church and a medieval barn, in Harmondsworth.
But BAA has modified the government plans by moving the proposed runway 100 yards east, lifting the threat to listed buildings.
BAA said it was vital to expand the airport to meet demand for flights. It attempted to play down the significance of a sixth terminal, saying it could only amount to "satellite buildings".
Mick Temple, managing director for BAA Heathrow, said: "Heathrow is one of the world's great airports but we recognise that it needs modernising.
"We are proud of the fact that Heathrow offers enormous benefits to the local and national economies, but are also keenly aware that our operations have a significant impact on our surrounding communities."
Reader views (16)
What is the problem with a 6th Runway?? Everybody wants to travel, verebody wants to go on holiday... but then when the airports try to expand to meet the demand, people complain... why dont we concentrate on things that really matter and let these guys do their jobs...
- Daniel Scarlata, Bedford
I think that terminal six is pointless and should not be built. Peoples homes are being demolished as well as a primary school. Why would you do that just for a new runway? I agree with "Matt" in making more use of our other airports!
- Catriona Grant, Kent
I think that the new terminal is pointless. Why doesn't Britain just make more use of its current airports, such as Manchester. I also feel that we should be thinking more about the environment. This would have a drastic effect on that!
- Matt, preston uk
It proves one can not trust authorities. One minute they claim terminal 5 will be all they need, then as soon as they've won that, they put it into their pocket and start to claim a third runway and sixth terminal are necessities.
I see no reason why a single area has to be blighted by accepting all the air traffic. It must raise the risk of a problem. I see no reason why we can not spread the load around airports all over the country. After all, no one wants to travel miles south west to board a plane if they can do so locally.
- Gaz, Herts.
I couldn't agree more with "Kris Littlechild", the expansion HAS to go ahead. As a nation we seriously need to start thinking about the majority instead of the minority. Quite frankly im embarassed saying that Heathrow is Londons primary airport, the delays and flight cancelations, the expansion will hopefully put a stop to all of that. This hole hooha about a high speed rail link is ridiculous aswell, only a tiny percentage of flights operated out of heathrow are to domestic cities in the Uk, and i highly doubt many people will have the patience to spend 4/5 or how many hours it will take to get to Madrid or Berlin.
- Stuart Lee, Kingston, Surrey
heathrow needs to expand it will provide better buissnes for the airport and better jobs for peopile i am shure BAA will acomidate the peoile who have to moove in a great establishment i think the airport is too small i think they should build a further 5 terminals and even 3 more runways it will be ok for BAA to moove the peoile and i think BA should extend there terminal to t5to t7 and own its own runway and slice of heathorw BA has billions of pounds to do this and i think BA and BAA should do this for more buisnes and more cash
- Paul Jobling, hartlepool
Enough is enough BAA , I remember when they said T4 would be the last one and now they are talking about T6 when will it stop. Its about time this country started listening to the people who live here not the big businesses trying to run it, I'm all for making things better but surely digging up graves, knocking down homes is not right.
- Brian, Hayes Middlesex
Yes this will effect houses and buildings but the third runway and a sixth terminal must be build! It will provide 1000's of jobs and make London Heathrow Airport the busiest as it already is and one of the best in the world.
- Kris Littlechild, Hayes
There is more than one airport in London, what's wrong with expanding capacity at one of those?
When will the expansion of Heathrow finally cease?
- Arms K, London, UK
These is no question, if the UK wants LHR to remain an important gateway, its has to expand.
Heathrow at this point should be avoided at all costs, its like a 1950's airport with two runways, crowded, dirty, old buildings, in fact a nightmare.
- Parrish Barker, Joburg, South Africa
I think a third runway and 6th Terminal is vital for the UK. I do have sympathy for those people that will loose their homes, however they will be able to relocate with the money they receive to elsewhere.
I am not being nasty, but I do not understand people who choose to live close to an airport, expansion is unavoidable and if housing etc has to be removed in order to pave the way for what will be a huge benefit in the future for our country then so be it!
I am 100% for Heathrow expansion!
- Gj., London
I live in the Harmondsworth area, and I can confirm - I would only be too happy for the area to be demolished in order to make way for a third runway!
The area is a dump: the land would be put to far better use to expand the airport, and create more jobs.
As long as the home-owners who would be subject to compulsory purchase orders would be paid more than the market value of their houses, then they would stand to benefit themselves. The only objections come from people who argue that their parents lived in the houses, etc. But this is pure sentimentality: it is not a nice area at all.
Roll on third runway; roll on Terminal 6.
- Chris Melville, London, UK
I am dismayed although not shocked at the future developements of Heathrow. My grandmother lived in the same house in Harmondsworth for 50 years and fought for this not to happen. Maybe it is sentimentalism, but at a time when climate change is dominating the arena it seems so sad that we will also lose some great communities. Lets face it,these villages will expire with Heathrows expansion and my mum remembers when they were just starting to flourish.
- Sandra Cameron, Dunfermline, Scotland
In response to Adam Grainger in Suffolk - I too am from Suffolk but as I was relocated due to my work, I have found myself owning property not far from where the proposed runway and terminal will be situated.
It's very easy to sit in the countryside and say the economic benefits outweight a few thousand people losing their homes - try imagining having no say about losing the place you have called home your whole life, imagine it happening in Newmarket.
Why should a few thousand suffer so that you can have cheaper air travel?
Not to even mention the severe affects of cheap air travel on our environment.
- Annoyed Anon, Uxbridge, Middlesex
Quite simply there are to many NIMBY's around. Everybody has these bright ideas but when something is going to affect them, they moan! I understand losing your house is a terrible thing but a few thousand lives deterorated is nothing compared to the massive benefits from airport expansion. Economic benefits will be massive on a macro and micro economic scale and quite simply a lot of people's lives will be made better due to cheaper, closer air travel. Heathrow is a prime example of where expansion should continue. It is internationally known and is rightly considered by BAA as the world'd aviation hub, long may this continue. There is no point in building more and more smaller airports as the environmental damage is a hell of a lot more than an extra runway at Heathrow. Current airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead need to be expanded. The reason they are so big already is because they are well placed, as are others such as Manchester. I understand other small airports are needed as they are vital for cheaper short haul flights but we can't start making long haul interantional airports everywhere and the ones we have should be made the best in the world. I believe Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead and Manchester all need to continue growing while there is demand. This will improve the entire population's travel needs and the econmic gains are massive.
- Adam Grainger, Newmarket, Suffolk
What doesn't seem quite right is that Terminal 5 is not yet finished and BAA are thinking of Terminal 6. Let's face it: Heathrow is at its maximum, and it is surrounded by either settlements or water on all sides. I think that a compromise would be to alleviate traffic at Heathrow by improving the rail and road links between London's major airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted), and perhaps try to expand another airport instead. In Madrid, the expansion of Barajas airport has caused tensions, not with the demolishing of houses, but with rerouting the local river, Jarama, which runs beside the airport, and the noise pollution. The government is now thinking of building another major airport for Madrid. Perhaps this should be the solution for London: pick a spot which is easily accessible, has little or no agricultural, ecological or touristic value, and build another airport there to relieve Heathrow.
- Alex Smith, Madrid, Spain
