This is what Heathrow Airport could look like after £14,000,000,000 expansion
Heathrow Airport could soon expand if government gives the green light to controversial plans to build a third runway.
The UK’s busiest airport in Hillingdon, west London, is rumoured to get permission to build its third runway.
Heathrow saw a record 83.9 million passengers travel through its terminals last year, and airport bosses have argued for more capacity, saying that the airport is now ‘full.’
The £14 billion expansion is set to add 260,000 flights a year.
However, environmental campaigners and residents have voiced concern over the plans which got parliamentary approval in June 2018, but have been halted due to legal challenges.
Now Rachel Reeves is reportedly about to approve the Heathrow expansion in a bid to boost economic growth, according to Bloomberg.
She is also likely to approve a second runway at Gatwick and the expansion of Luton Airport.
The plans have been opposed by campaigners from the get-go, with residents near the airport saying they fear they might lose their homes.
Alethea Warrington, the head of aviation at climate charity Possible, said that the ‘huge increase in emissions won’t help our economy’ as it would encourage the ‘small group of frequent flyers who take most of the flights.’
She said the expansion at Heathrow ‘would be a catastrophic misstep for a Government which claims to be a climate leader.’
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Meanwhile, Heathrow bosses see the expansion as critical for economic growth, Metro understands.
While Heathrow Airport declined to comment on the Chancellor’s rumoured approval, its spokesperson said the airport hub enables ‘over £200bn of British trade annually.’
They continued: ‘But growing the economy means adding capacity at the UK’s hub airport which is full. That’s why we’re planning to unlock capacity by improving and upgrading our existing infrastructure, while also looking at potential options to deliver a third runway at Heathrow in line with strict tests on carbon, noise and air quality.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘We are determined to get our economy moving and secure the long-term future of the UK’s aviation sector.
‘All expansion proposals must demonstrate they contribute to economic growth, which is central to our Plan for Change, while remaining in line with existing environmental obligations.’
When will the Heathrow expansion be announced?
Rumours are swirling that the Chancellor will use her speech on economic growth next week to support the third runway plan which has been officially on hold since coronavirus lockdowns.
There is currently no official Development Consent Order for the project, a kind of planning application for nationally significant infrastructure projects.
The Chancellor is also expected to make an announcement on the Lower Thames Crossing, a £9 billion project connecting Kent and Essex that is said to help alleviate traffic bottlenecks at nearby Dartford Crossing.
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