There is already a third runway just 5 miles north of Heathrow. It's at Northolt. It's already in use, it has existing major rail and road links, it's 5,500 ft long X 130 ft wide and whilst (at 25/07) it's not quite parallel to Heathrow's runways it's near enough to be workable. All that will be required is a terminal and an underground rail link to join with the Piccadilly Line for access to Heathrow's existing terminals.
That's going to cost a whole lot less than the astronomic sums of UK tax payers money that are being suggested as start up figures for a new runway. We all know that it will end up costing at least three times more and taking twice as long to complete than the estimates provided by those who would be the lowest bidders for the work.
And let's not forget the thousands of ordinary folk who would not then need to be forcibly uprooted from their homes and communities, relocated and compensated
before work could commence on clearing the ground for a new runway that will, in all probability be inadequate by the time it's eventually commissioned.
Build a new airport in the Thames estuary - the only sane solution. Relocate the bobbalinks (or whatever) instead.
One way of getting such a project in on time would be to recruit the same team - management and workforce - that built Hong Kong's new airport. Now wouldn't that put the cat among the pigeons
