A planning row was set to take off today as Heathrow unveiled its designs for a third runway.
Britain’s biggest airport believes the project, including terminals and infrastructure, can be built within a decade at a cost of around £49 billion.
If passed, it will allow flights to 30 new destinations, add 0.43 per cent to the UK’s GDP and carry 66 million more passengers per year, Heathrow says.
But it is set to face a battle, with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who is strongly opposed to a third runway on noise and environmental grounds, suggesting he could launch a legal challenge.
The extension would involve diverting a section of the M25 through a tunnel running underneath the new runway and will mean a major redesign of the airport.
The submission of the plans comes ahead of the Government formally approving proposals for a second runway at Gatwick in the next few weeks.
It marks the largest expansion of Britain’s airports for half a century, as Labour attempts to revive Britain’s sluggish economy with infrastructure projects. But it will also reignite a major row within the party and highlight sharp divides between those who want growth and those concerned about the environment.
While a majority of MPs are likely to back the project if it goes to a vote, Sir Keir Starmer and many of his Cabinet ministers have previously voted against Heathrow expansion.
Earlier this year, Ed Miliband, the Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero, had to issue a statement saying he wouldn’t quit over the third runway given his previous opposition to the plans.
Political rows and legal challenges over pollution have repeatedly held up plans for a Heathrow expansion, which were first raised more than two decades ago.
The plans will be reviewed by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander before a consultation on the airport’s national policy statement. Should permission be granted for a new runway, a full planning application can then be submitted in 2028.
The new runway would mean 276,000 new flights annually and 68million more passengers. It would cost £21billion, with the rest of the planned budget paying for a redesign of the airport. The total number of flights would increase to 756,000 a year, carrying 150million passengers.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: ‘It has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow. We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity.’
The expansion will be financed by private investment, but airlines have expressed concern that the airport will hike its passenger charges to pay for the project.
Business groups welcomed the plans, saying they were ‘an investment in the nation’s future’.
A joint statement from the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, MakeUK, Federation of Small Businesses and Institute of Directors said: ‘The benefits are clear: for exporters, it opens up vital access to major and emerging markets; for visitors, it enhances global and domestic connectivity; and for businesses, it unlocks billions in private investment, strengthening supply chains, creating jobs, and driving skills across the country.’
But green campaigners continue to oppose the expansion, arguing that it is bad for the environment due to noise and air pollution.
Dr Douglas Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, said: ‘The Government has decided yet again to prioritise more leisure opportunities for a comparatively small group of frequent fliers, while the rest of us have to live with the consequences of their disproportionate polluting.’
Richard Holden, Shadow Transport Secretary, welcomed the announcement but said it was vital it got the expansion right.
‘The Government’s role is now to ensure the process delivers real benefits for Britain, for passengers, protects taxpayers, and guarantees proper local consultation,’ he said.
A rival expansion plan has also been submitted – hotel tycoon Surinder Arora’s proposal includes a shorter third runway, which he claims will be cheaper and quicker to build.