Heathrow Airport Expansion

Monday 25th June

I have no doubt that Heathrow will get it’s third runway.  The Government has had committees and reports galore; we have been talking about it for decades and now there will be a vote which WILL give the go-ahead for Heathrow to expand.

I do not live close to any of the airports considered so have no vested interest – but it does seem a shame that the plans for Heathrow will mean about a hundred houses demolished.  And even more congestion on the roads of West London which are almost at gridlock much of the time now.

We are actually victims of a history of non-planning; airports have simply expanded with little thought for the future.  In reality the best solution would probably have been Boris Island; a completely new airport with at least 5 runways on an artificial island in the Thames Estuary.  But that was always considered too expensive, with new roads and rail links needed.  Anyway, as usual a fudge will be agreed – and in all probability we will be talking about increasing airport runways again in a few years time.

It does seem incredible but the UK does seem incapable of making big infrastructure decisions.  There is a large degree of NIMBYism, but we always seem scared of the costs involved, even though the fudges may cost far more in the long run.  Also, because Political parties are far more concerned with getting re-elected than doing the right thing, politicians struggle to think beyond five years.  So, we bumble along.  Heathrow will get its third runway, there will be chaos for years and by 2030 we will be once again talking about the need for airport expansion – Brexit, or no Brexit.