Heathrow expansion

[whydoihavetowork]

I know this is a big shiny investment designed to wow business etc but it's yet another example of a London centric government doing nothing for levelling up. Cancel HS2 and expand Heathrow, brilliant. Plus a new rail line in to support the tech corridor again predominantly south and money for Luton and Gatwick airports too. Whatever your thoughts were on HS2 these policies are so southern based it's actually beyond a joke.

Well at least they are helping Man U get a new stadium and reopening an old airport.

I don’t think it’s only Londoners who care, FWIW. I think domestic infrastructure projects like this are generally really unpopular and lots of people object on an environmental basis, even if they are not close.

I don’t really know enough about the proposal (in terms of increases in flights) to comment meaningfully on the impact on the local communities. I’m sure it will be worse for them though, how could it not be. That being said, perhaps this is the cost of ‘growth’ (which we need to pay for an aging and less healthy population). These aren’t easy decisions, I don’t think.

I dont think I said that did I.

What’s the duh about? Your post is a bit incoherent with a dash of Man U for good measure

My first thought was ' why are we giving money to Ed Milliband for climate change initiatives and taxing non electric car owners to almost oblivion when they want to do this ?'
I know my arguments are flawed, but it also makes me wonder

Good. About time we had any infrastructure investment in this country. Hopefully reforms to planning mean that it won’t get delayed for a further 30 years by NIMBYs.

Its costs nine times more to build high speed rail here in the UK than Spain. And it’s because we take so long and spend vast amounts on over engineered tunnels and solutions to avoid upsetting locals.

This is just Rachel Reeves trying to save her arse

Yep it's a weekly blurb about growth as she's bet the house on it then promptly ended it via the budget

Plus what @Onthewaydownagain said

It will take forever to get it through a DCO. I don't think it will happen.

But Labour have previously said they want to ‘remove hurdles’ to planning blocks ( my quotation marks ).

I read most of the cabinet voted against the third runway previously.

Now it's very clear why they want to remove these hurdles. Move the runway to a northern airport and an area where the investment is needed!

Is infrastructure needed?

Yes.

Where are the new hospitals? Surgeries? Prisons?

Why don’t we build those?

Because Heathrow know how to lobby.

Don't be silly, that's the fault of the last government and a problem for the next one to fix. (Repeat ad nauseam).

Same with flood defences.

We’ll only wake up when waders sell out.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/01/reevess-heathrow-third-runway-report-was-commissioned-by-london-airport

Sustainable aviation fuel costs as much as 7 times the cost of normal aviation fuel, yet Rachel Reeves sees this as the solution...

I live under the flight path, I see planes all the time but the noise and pollution will get worse. I'm a bit of a plane spotter but even I don't want planes coming over at midnight. There's a loud one that I hear at around 10pm almost every night.

Also the M25 around Heathrow is a nightmare as it is, if you hit it after 7am add at least 20 minutes to your journey. That will need a major overhaul to manage the excess traffic because people don't take public transport no matter what we are told.

Also where are all these people whose homes are going to be flattened live? Along with all the extra workers?

They're desperately throwing money at Doncaster airport despite the fact is was mothballed due to low passenger demand.

People want to fly to London or use Heathrow to connect to other flights - they don't want to fly to Doncaster & it's a bit silly to think business passengers are going to fly to Doncaster , spend lots of money in the area then hop on a train to London for a connecting flight.

It makes sense to expand the capacity where there is growing demand not just put in in the north because 'levelling up & all that'

Me too. We don't get loads of planes atm but I understand we will if the 3rd runway goes ahead. And most passengers will just be transferring to other flights. Good for Heathrow and gov revenue but at huge cost to huge swathes of London and the surroundings.