alex67500

Apples and Pears. This is an aviation-related forum so we're bound to have that kind of argument, but realistically it's completely different.

French cities which have had a TGV have been doing much better than those who didn't so it actually makes sense in the long term.

Environmentalists will be challenging HS2 also, and HAL will appeal this decision so don't count either of those as done or cancelled.

contrails7

Let's be honest that is all due to the power and influence of the wealthy residents of South West London. I find it difficult to believe that if LHR were situated in, say, south-east London we wouldn't have had a third runway 5 times over by now. It's just ironic that statistically it is these same SW residents who then fly most, whether for business or pleasure. But then they are also best positioned (financially) to pay the higher fares that must result from artificially limiting capacity in the face of growing demand. I'm sorry but to me (given that LHR has been around and expanding for longer than most people would have been resident in SW London) this is the apogee of nimbyism

In a further irony BA are another winner as they now maintain a perpetual lock on their relatively dominant position at LHR. No wonder they have been a recent vocal critic of the whole project

dajdavies

Western Rail link is coming, it's just taking a long time (considering it's only 6.5km and most of it is underground)

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runnin...k-to-heathrow/

navylad

The Government's decision not to appeal stated that the manifesto “makes clear any Heathrow expansion will be Indistry led”, I.e. they support HAL appealing, but won’t do it themselves.

This avoids the gov getting egg or face with the Supreme Court again, and doesn’t stop the Gov taking other measures either before or subsequently- weather that is passing legislation to bypass the decision or undertaking a review on the climate impact of Heathrow expansion to fulfil the requirement of the judges decision for example.

PxC

Bristol Airport expansion delayed as well

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.t...imate-protests

xarantine

Agreed - I live in West London (W4 - generally a really lovely place to live, but so much NIMBYism) and the amount of agitation and protesting I've seen is mad. They're all against it until they realise that no 3R = higher prices and/or having to travel to LGW or worse.

To say nothing of the fact that the 3R will lead to fewer flight paths over "my" part of London, not more. I'm obviously biased as I couldn't give a hoot about plane noise - I'm more likely to go "ooh, where's that one coming in from?" and pull out FlightRadar than moan - but it's really not as big a deal as people want to make out. As contrails7 said - if you live near an airport, expect plane noise. What did they expect?

ironmouse

Good,
It's already nerve racking enough getting to LHR on the M25 . Never knowing if it's going to be clear or not, constant problems between J10 and 12.
In my opinion the last thing they need is to increase capacity on the already failing transport infrastructure around the M25.
Just my opinion.

abligh

Correction: *parliament* could pass a one line bill. I'm no Boris supporter and recognise that hypocrisy is normally no barrier etc., but I suspect Boris does not want to get up in parliament and propose legislation he has consistently opposed previously, promoting a huge infrastructure project in the South having just said he's going to rebalance the economy to the North.

navylad

would be a Government motion, requiring a vote of parliament if we want to be pedant, and Boris doesn’t need to propose it (indeed it is unlikely any PM would be proposing it- would be for a minister from DfT).

Given that part of the LHR expansion bid was more domestic connections including to the north (such as LPL for example) it is easy to spin it to be good for the north too.

Misco60

I, for one (and I'm sure I'm in a minority on this forum), would much rather have green fields than yet more concrete and aviation fumes and noise. I'd like to see Heathrow become better, not bigger, and I'm more than happy to see Schiphol, Frankfurt and the middle eastern hubs take LHR's potential future business.

taranty

This is spot on. As noted in the summary, all the Court can look at here is (essentially) whether the process has been followed correctly. Here, said process requires an explanation of how the policy decision has considered the requirements of Government policy on climate change. That explanation was missing, thus the relevant process has not been followed correctly. There could probably have just been a couple of paragraphs saying (this is an example, not a statement of fact so not looking to debate the accuracy of it!) "it's compatible with climate change policy because the additional aircraft are more efficient, holding and taxi times which waste fuel will be reduced and we'll also plant 8,000,000 trees so overall it's carbon neutral" and all would likely have been fine. The Court itself has said:
On that point, Government not appealing is likely because they don't need to. The Court also said, expanding on the final sentence above:

To me that reads as though once the Secretary of State has revised the ANPS to include the climate change policy consideration requirement it's then good to go. The decision here is not saying no third runway, it's saying no third runway until you go away and do a bit more work on the ANPS. At which point, they can press on unless there is then another challenge that the requirement still hasn't been met. There's therefore not much point appealing, just get on and revise the ANPS instead as instructed by the Court. I wouldn't read anything at all into the decision not to appeal as regards Government appetite for a third runway. If they don't bother revising the ANPS as instructed though then it's a very different matter!

Captain Walker

I know what you mean, but I'm sure part of the 3rd runway proposal was to "fix" that section of the M25 - I seem to remember an animation which showed the proposed new layout of that part of the M25.

Swanhunter

Global Britain 😂😂

Will be fascinating to see how Johnson approaches this. IIRC he was supposed to lie down in front of the diggers to stop the 3rd runway? Will he stop it permanently (if Cummings allows him, of course).

Swissroll

It will still be at 99.5% capacity after its built. HAL will sweat the assets to the max

wemyss

This will suit the government's purpose. "Level up" UK if he can, not investing even more in the south east while the rest suffer