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Third runway at Heathrow set for go-ahead
Joe Murphy and Pippa Crerar9 Jan 2009
THE go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow looks imminent.
There were signals in Whitehall this afternoon that senior ministers could give approval as early as next week.
Any go-ahead will be tied to binding assurances that strict limits on emissions and aircraft noise will be met.
It may be linked to a promise to build a high-speed rail link to reduce domestic flights at the same time but that is unlikely to satisfy doubters, including more than 50 Labour MPs who have voiced fierce opposition.
Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has held private talks with senior Cabinet colleagues to satisfy doubters, including Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.
Senior sources said the decision was due next week and the clear expectation at Westminster was for a Yes to the campaign by airport operator BAA for expansion to go ahead.
A source close to Mr Benn - seen as the minister most likely to resign over the issue - this afternoon made clear he will not be quitting. No minister of Cabinet rank is expected to break ranks, though juniors could yet cause trouble.
Mr Brown's allies are making clear he is ready to risk a major political battle for a project that he thinks is vital to the future of London and Britain.
With the economy in recession, he thinks that Conservative leader David Cameron is wrong to oppose the third runway because it is expected to bring extra commerce, jobs and a more reliable service for fliers.
The decision has been six years in the making and a consultation exercise brought 70,000 responses.
Green campaigners said the battle over Heathrow was only just beginning and vowed to hold major protests.
Friends of the Earth's executive director, Andy Atkins, said: "History will show this is a make-or-break decision. Expanding Heathrow would seriously undermine the Government's ability to meet its legal duty to slash UK greenhouse gas emissions - it is baffling that they are even considering it."
Airlines and business groups will hold a summit on Monday in a late push for a third runway. A series of high-profile City figures are expected to argue that expansion is essential to London's economy.
The timing of the event, which will include British Airways, BMI, the CBI and TUC, has added weight to speculation the Government will give the third runway a green light next week.
In an interview today, Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA which owns Heathrow, insisted expansion was vital but admitted he took "no pleasure" from "stirring up people's lives".
Part of a village will have to be demolished to make way for a third runway and the extra noise risks blighting many more homes.
Mr Hoon is widely expected to confirm expansion despite opposition from within the Cabinet, green groups and London Mayor Boris Johnson. Mr Hoon is understood to have already met Gordon Brown ahead of getting the deal signed off by the Cabinet and making his announcement.
Business Secretary Peter Mandelson and Chancellor Alistair Darling are among the big backers in Cabinet of a third runway.
Critics were led by Mr Benn, Commons leader Harriet Harman, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband.
The battle in the Commons may be even more fierce. Some 100 MPs, including 41 Labour backbenchers, signed an Early Day Motion demanding a Commons vote on the issue.
The battle for Heathrow could sway the next general election. A poll for Greenpeace this week said four marginal Labour seats would be lost in west London if the third runway got the go-ahead.
Reader views (22)
Well, Mr Brown or should I say Clown, your time is diffinately up, if you think aproving this expansion will ever happen, you've got another thing coming, because when the next General Election comes, I will ensure that I use my vote and you and your party will never step foot into parliment again. Just bunch of useless lefties that never listern to the majority of people.
- Ben Dabin, Kent, 15/01/2009 01:45
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Another bad point for the Crash Gordon "government"... everyone on the ground in London does not want this airport there and still HE thinks it is a good idea!
- Steveo, Islington, London, 12/01/2009 09:24
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YES,YES,YES,I'm all for a third Runway At Heathrow but this time can someone with a little bit of imagination give it an uplift like shopping areas, cinemas, amusement area,Hotels, something for people to spend there time when waiting for there departure, anything to take the boredom of waiting away.
Cliff.
- Clifford Bailey, Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada., 12/01/2009 06:23
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With 3rd runway the terminal building should be provided with more facilities for the transit passanger.
- Mohammed Khader, Chicago USA, 12/01/2009 02:21
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Apart from Charles De Galling in France Peter!
- Gavin, Sydney Australia, 11/01/2009 22:42
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I was born and raised in Sipson here 60 years dont look like i will die here though does it.
- Big Joe, Sipson West Drayton HEATHROW, 09/01/2009 18:57
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Apart from their incompetence on the economy, this is an issue that will cost Brown and Co the next election. The public is ahead of Brown on the environment, and have made clear that they don't want a third runway. It's now up to Cameron and Co to come out loud and clear with a statement that anything Brown starts at Heathrow won't be completed by the Conservatives after the next election, and that Brown is therefore wasting his time and his political capital on the matter. Speak up now, Dave, if you're not a weasel trying to play both sides!!!
- Phil Jones, London UK, 09/01/2009 18:38
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Arrived at Heathrow T4 this morning and what a dreary awful place. Heathrow airport building seem to undergo never-ending refurbishment.It must be one of the worst airports in the world
- Peter Noterfed, Paris, France, 09/01/2009 18:24
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These 'environmentalists' will only be happy when we go back to living in caves! It is vital in order to maintain our economic success that we make difficult decisions about this country's infrastructure. Paris, Amsterdam & Frankfurt all have more runways now than Heathrow will have even after the third runway! The idea of an international high speed rail hub at Heathrow would be a massive plus point also, as it should be borne in mind that most of the pollution problems around Heathrow are not aircraft related but motor vehicle traffic on the M4, M25 and in the airport itself. Therefore increasing the number of passengers arriving by rail would in all probability mean that we wouldn't even need to have a conversation about whether Heathrow should or shouldn't get another runway. The alternative? Watch Heathrow decline to fourth or fifth placed airport in Europe, airlines disappear, jobs goand then there'll be a national debate about how we didnt do enough to save the airport! Don't you just love envionmentalists and NIMBY's?!
- John Bigg, london, 09/01/2009 18:07
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Who is going to pay for the new runway at Heathrow? It won't be BAA - they can't afford to replace the torn carpets in Terminal 3.
- Tim Beard, London, 09/01/2009 17:54
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With oil only set to become more expensive after it reaches peak production, it would be better to start investing in more efficient forms of travel such as railways. Many of the short haul flights taking off from Heathrow could easily be taken across land. The threat of climate change just makes this long term economic imperative even more pressing. I will certainly not be voting for Gordon Brown if he lets a new runway go ahead at Heathrow.
- Nick Davies, London, 09/01/2009 17:39
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Great, now BA will be able to fly even more small planes to exactly the same places (there are currently 11 BA flights from Heathrow to Frankfurt alone each day). A squeeze on runway space would be a good thing, because it would force airlines to fly fewer and bigger planes, which would be better for the environment and quieter for West London residents.
I suppose there will also be yet more flights that never leave the GB mainland too. The last time I went to Heathrow, I could see 36 GB-only flights on the board. What's wrong with building an efficient rail system like France and Germany have, so that people aren't forced onto a plane every time they want to travel within mainland Britain?
Labour's transport policy is an ill-thought out waste of money that seems to be designed to create misery.
- Liz, London, 09/01/2009 17:37
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Hold on, were the big majority not AGAINST this expanion of the sorry airport that Heathrow is??
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 09/01/2009 17:31
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Brown has obviously decided he can do without hundreds of thousands of votes at the next election. Therefore it will never happen as the Tories will scrap.
- Clarky, London, 09/01/2009 17:16
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typical of this bankrupt government, when some airlines cannot fill their planes, holiday companies cannot sell holidays. what do this idiot government want to do, build another runway. Where is the money coming from? and where are the passengers coming from?
Insanity unlimited is this government.
Good luck to all of the protesters, go for it, you can win. The real battle starts now.
- Richard Partridge, Eaton Bishop UK, 09/01/2009 16:59
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Even with a looming recession demand for air travel is going to continue to grow and as the major airlines want a central hub they don’t want to spread their operations over secondary airports such as Gatwick or Stansted, which provide for alternative markets. As there is no political or economic appetite to build a new airport Heathrow is going to remain vital to the UK economy. The current two runways at Heathrow are operating at near full capacity, so squeezing more flights on would compromise safety, building a third runway is the only sensible option. It’s not a popular choice but we should expect our politicians to make difficult decisions.
- Nj, UK, 09/01/2009 16:33
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Good news... and desperately needed to sort out the joke that is heathrow!
- Sean Kirwin, London, 09/01/2009 16:29
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If Gordon Brown thinks a third runway is going to drag us out of this recession then he should be removed as Prime Minister - unless of course we will still be in recession when any construction starts around 2015 (according to current projections) and opens around 2020!
This battle has only just begun.
- Geraldine Nicholson, West Drayton, UK, 09/01/2009 16:24
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So,as I suspected all those protests were in vain.I sometimes wonder whether we live in a democracy at all.
- Steve, London, 09/01/2009 16:21
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As usual this government has run roughshod over popular opinion. Tax us for bigger cars then introduce thousands of more plane journeys.Makes no sense whatsoever.
- Matt, Richmond, 09/01/2009 16:19
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Now that most of our industries are owned by huge French and German conglomerates, are we really going to give up the last piece of silver in the family collection. Heathrow is vital to the success of London and the UK. It is home to British Airways and Virgin and a provider of jobs equivalent to the working population of Newcastle. No third runway will mean extea business for Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt am Main and the eventual demise of on of our greatest assets. Sound familiar?
- Robert Early, Berlin, Germany, 09/01/2009 15:57
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Good news.
More jobs.
More trade.
- Reg, London, 09/01/2009 15:46
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