Government ministers have formally approved the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
On Tuesday afternoon it was announced in the the House of Commons that Heathrow had beaten its rival Gatwick for permission to expand.
The news follows a recommendation from Sir Howard Davies, who led the official review of Britain’s airport capacity, said the case for Heathrow was “overwhelming” and had “strengthened in recent months”.
As reported in the Mirror, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the decision was “truly momentous” and a “great deal for business”.
“I am proud that after years of discussion and delay this government is taking decisive action to secure the UK’s place in the global aviation market – securing jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond.”
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The decision was not without controversy however, with many protesters forming outside Parliament to express their unhappiness over Heathrow’s expansion.
For a number of environmentalists, the decision to expand Heathrow’s air traffic could have disastrous effects on climate change.
Green MEP Keith Taylor called the decision it was “disastrous”, citing the rise in CO2 emissions from increased air traffic.
Taylor said, “Welcome to Theresa May’s never-never land, where prime ministers never have to listen to scientists and never have to apologise for increasing CO2 emissions and air pollution levels.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that ‘this is the wrong decision for London and the whole of Britain’.
“The government are running roughshod over Londoners’ views,” he added. “A new runway at Heathrow will be devastating for air quality across London – air pollution around the airport is already above legal levels of NO2.” Mr. Khan has since vowed to explore legal options to see if he could further challenge the decision.
News of the new runway was also followed by the resignation of MP Zac Goldsmith, who was the Conservative Party’s defeated London Mayoral candidate.
Protestors demonstrate against the development of a third runway at Heathrow as ministers leave Downing Street. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
For years, both Gatwick and Heathrow airport have vied for the opportunity to build an additional runway at their respective locations. Both airports argued that the building on new runways would be necessary to better keep London as a global hub for commerce and tourism.
It is estimated that the cost of expanding Heathrow will be between £14.6billion and £18.6billion. Despite Tuesday’s decision, an operational third run way would not be possible until at least 2025 as development must first progres past a public consultation phase and a vote on the National Policy Statement on Aviation from the government in winter 2018.
If it passes those points, building on the new runway would begin before 2020 or 2021, before eventually finishing in 2025 according to the Airports Commission.
