Conservative party admits wrong on Heathrow
Sep 8, 2012, 7:54 am
#571
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Sep 8, 2012, 8:28 am
#572
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I rather hope Ed stays in.
The Opposition has a terrible, and I mean terrible, record in the area of airport expansion. I can't think of anything they did during the Blair Brown years which helped air travel.
On the other hand, the Conservative record during the 80s and 90s in this area is strong, and demonstrably so.
The Opposition has a terrible, and I mean terrible, record in the area of airport expansion. I can't think of anything they did during the Blair Brown years which helped air travel.
On the other hand, the Conservative record during the 80s and 90s in this area is strong, and demonstrably so.
Sep 8, 2012, 8:57 am
#573
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For who?? I live in the West part of Central London, I get to LHR in about 35min. Stratford station is already 50min away, let alone the connection to some airport in the middle of nowhere. No matter how fast the connection from Stratford, it would be a massive increase in travel time.
Sometimes I think everyone in this place lives in East London.
Sometimes I think everyone in this place lives in East London.
Unless you live in the immediate vicinity of Heathrow or Paddington, travel times to the Thames Airport will not be significantly longer than they are today. There will probably be direct service on Crossrail. And certainly an express high-speed service from St. Pancras (under 25 minutes) And, possibly also high speed services from a new hub station at Old Oak Common, over the HS2-HS1 connection.
Excellent connectivity is crucial to any hub airport plan. It won't be "in the middle of nowhere".
Sep 8, 2012, 9:10 am
#574
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I think it's only been in the last decade or so that Heathrow has had its own fast rail link.
Did the tube always go to LHR?
And the M4 flyover will probably have to ripped down and rebuilt at some stage; again, that wasn't there when LHR's original terminal was constructed.
Did the tube always go to LHR?
And the M4 flyover will probably have to ripped down and rebuilt at some stage; again, that wasn't there when LHR's original terminal was constructed.
Sep 8, 2012, 9:27 am
#576
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We're talking well into the 2020s (at least) before a new airport becomes operational. Crossrail and HS2 will already be built.
Unless you live in the immediate vicinity of Heathrow or Paddington, travel times to the Thames Airport will not be significantly longer than they are today. There will probably be direct service on Crossrail. And certainly an express high-speed service from St. Pancras (under 25 minutes) And, possibly also high speed services from a new hub station at Old Oak Common, over the HS2-HS1 connection.
Excellent connectivity is crucial to any hub airport plan. It won't be "in the middle of nowhere".
Unless you live in the immediate vicinity of Heathrow or Paddington, travel times to the Thames Airport will not be significantly longer than they are today. There will probably be direct service on Crossrail. And certainly an express high-speed service from St. Pancras (under 25 minutes) And, possibly also high speed services from a new hub station at Old Oak Common, over the HS2-HS1 connection.
Excellent connectivity is crucial to any hub airport plan. It won't be "in the middle of nowhere".
Just bulldozer over Slough and expand Heathrow in that direction.
Sep 9, 2012, 1:59 am
#577
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Actually, yes. It's amazing how geography hasn't changed in 40 years. And, since ruling out boris island because of the fog and birds, the best option is KYN or close by.
Also, if the 1970s commission were examining options today, in light of HS2, I think this site would be the clear favorite.
Sep 9, 2012, 3:14 pm
#578
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Neither HS2 nor Crossrail will solve the problem for most of us here at the West side of Central London. Boris Airport will never be built, but if it were it would require additional high speed transport across Central London, which is going to be financially unattainable.
Current HS2 plans unfortunately do not include this link (rather, just a low speed connection via the existing North London line) but it is not financially unattainable at all. This would almost certainly happen as part of a hub airport plan.
Sep 9, 2012, 3:18 pm
#579
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Sep 9, 2012, 3:20 pm
#580
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Actually, yes. It's amazing how geography hasn't changed in 40 years. And, since ruling out boris island because of the fog and birds, the best option is KYN or close by.
Also, if the 1970s commission were examining options today, in light of HS2, I think this site would be the clear favorite.
Also, if the 1970s commission were examining options today, in light of HS2, I think this site would be the clear favorite.
Take the level of opposition to HS2 in that area, and multiply it by about 1000.
Sep 9, 2012, 3:25 pm
#582
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(for me preferably somewhere further clockwise around the M25...)
Sep 9, 2012, 3:35 pm
#583
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Sep 9, 2012, 6:06 pm
#584
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But the real question is, are there more or less contested tory voters in that area, or along Heathrow's approach paths.
If it were up to me, there'd be a national referendum with 3 potential sites, the public would choose, and the legislation arranging for that referendum would mandate construction and cut off the many avenues to delay and kill a project, planning etc.
Sep 10, 2012, 1:49 am
#585
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That's the problem the IPC was meant to solve - to remove overdue local influence from schemes of national importance. Of course the Coalition reversed that immediately as soon as they took office and championed localism - and that meant that nationally important schemes are now held up as political footballs 
Sadly, the Coalition were too naive and inexperienced to be able to see the outcome of that reversal - despite the fact the IPC had been brought in as a result of experience within the planning system, with most parties with experience knowing that the planning system was not good at dealing with very large scale projects of national importance, but which have a large effect on a local area.
Sadly, the Coalition were too naive and inexperienced to be able to see the outcome of that reversal - despite the fact the IPC had been brought in as a result of experience within the planning system, with most parties with experience knowing that the planning system was not good at dealing with very large scale projects of national importance, but which have a large effect on a local area.