BAA has unveiled a draft
masterplan for a third runway and a sixth terminal at
Heathrow airport.
The Terminal 6 plan, which has been submitted for public
consultation, could lead to the loss of up to 700 homes
in the area. The expansion will affect the local
Heathrow villages of Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington, although no
commercial property will be replaced. If approved, the
third runway is scheduled to be built between 2015 and
2020.
The new plan outlines further developments,
including a third runway at Heathrow. Presumably this
new runway and 6th terminal will create a number of new
jobs at Heathrow, both during construction and when
open.BAA has confirmed that
any potential development could affect up to 700 houses.
BAA Heathrow will formulate ‘property blight schemes’ to
assist those whose homes are affected by the plans due
to Terminal 6 and the third runway. |
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London Assembly Liberal Democrat
Transport Spokesperson, Geoff Pope, said:-
"With the publication of the latest report on Heathrow expansion people
now know what is at stake in the coming weeks and months. As the
aviation industry begins to increase its lobbying for more of the
surrounding area to be bulldozed for Terminal 6 and the third runway,
local people must gear up for an almighty battle against an influential
and affluent business giant.
"The campaign will not be made any easier with Rod Eddington, the former
Chairman of British Airways, who led the campaign for a third runway,
being at the helm of Government thinking on the future of transport of
the UK.
"If Ken Livingstone does oppose expansion of Heathrow and has the sort
of influence on central Government that he claims, he must use all of it
to persuade Ministers that further expansion of Heathrow is neither an
option nor an answer."

Heathrow Terminal 6
Heathrow Terminal 5 was opened in
summer 2008, surrounded by chaos, confusion, lost bags, and upset
travellers. However, it now seems to be working much better and
our experiences in the terminal have been pretty good. It's clean,
spacious and has pretty good amenities.
However, as local residents the
arrival of a third runway and then Heathrow terminal 6 worries us...
there's already enough noise from the first two runways at Heathrow.
Heathrow Terminal 6 - do we really need it?
And a third runway?
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In early January 2009 the likelihood of a third runway and the arrival
of Terminal 6 rose dramatically when the Government, gave approval for
Heathrow's expansion - with transport secretary Geoff Hoon making the
statement. Opponents claim that the 3rd runway will breach
European limits on air quality due to come into force in 2015
BAA must now apply to the local authorities around Heathrow airport for
planning permission - for the third runway and sixth terminal to cater
for another 35 million passengers - due to the increase in take-offs and
landings from 480,000 flights a year to 720,000 by 2030.
Other changes to local infrastructure will see a new tunnel will take
the A4 road under the new Heathrow taxiways, and the current M4 motorway spur
will be moved. The government also promises a new major rail connection
at Heathrow airport as part of a high-speed rail network linking
Heathrow, London, Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland.
The £10bn airport expansion will head towards the M4 and new flight
paths will be created over West London and Berkshire.
The Labour MP Martin Salter has said: “There will be attempts to
sweeten the pill, but it is difficult to conceive of measures that can
mitigate the environmental effect of increasing flights out of Heathrow,
over one of the most densely populated parts of England, by 50 per
cent.”

Gatwick or Heathrow Terminal 6
Tim Jeans, Managing Director of Monarch airlines, has said that he
believes that Gatwick is a more suitable airport to expand and that
adding a third runway to Heathrow may result “tumbleweed blowing down
the runway at Gatwick” due to British Airways moving more of its flights
to the West London airport. |