A plane approaches landing over the rooftops of nearby houses at Heathrow Airport in London
Britain’s government gave the go-ahead yesterday to build a new runway at London’s Heathrow airport despite concerns about air pollution, noise and the destruction of hundreds of homes in the capital’s densely populated western neighborhoods.
The decision comes after years of discussion, study and outrage over the building of the first full runway in the southeast of the country since World War II. Theresa May’s government, reeling from a vote to leave the European Union, was anxious to prove the country was “open for business.”
Detractors described it as “catastrophic” for the environment, local community and the owners of 783 homes that are slated to be razed.
“The step that government is taking today is truly momentous,” Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said. “After years of discussion and delay this government is taking decisive action to secure the U.K.’s place in the global aviation market.”
The government rejected other options to expand airport capacity, including the extension of an existing runway at Heathrow or building a second runway at Gatwick Airport, south of London.
The decision is only the first step, though. The government’s recommendation will be studied further and Parliament will vote in about a year. Even if approved, it will take years before construction begins, as residents have threatened to sue to block the project.
Entire communities will be leveled. Compensation and mitigation could cost 2.6 billion pounds (USD3.2 billion). But the government said the wider good was at stake.
“This is an important issue for the whole country,” Grayling said. “That is why the government’s preferred scheme will be subject to full and fair public consultation.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan pledged to explore involvement in “any legal process,” as he said Heathrow already exposes the city to more aircraft noise than Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich and Madrid combined. Air quality issues were among Greenpeace’s concerns.
But it is the fury of residents that had stalled the project until now. Outraged homeowners argued they had been betrayed by politicians who pledged to block expansion before being put into office — only to change their minds later.
Anti-expansion groups gathered in the village of Harmondsworth, a quintessential English village which traces its history to the 6th century. The third runway is slated to traverse the village, leveling the ivy-covered brick walls of local landmarks like Harmondsworth Hall guest house as well as two thirds of its homes.
“Nowhere else in Europe do they build their runways directly in the heart of residential areas over their cities,” said Neil Keveren, who has campaigned againstHeathrow expansion for years. The runway grounds would be just across the road from his home, he said. AP
No Comments