AUTOGLIDE Totally agree with your sentiment even if you do take a somewhat parochial attitude!
An ongoing issue on this thread is who is this expansion to cater for?
Is it purely to attract and cater for transit pax, many of whom are non UK originating, or is it to cater for UK originating demand from the S.E. or elsewhere?
Taking this a step further then is the cost of the projected expansion expected to be funded from revenue generated by greater volumes of transiting pax, the majority of whom originate from overseas? Because if it is then is there not a more effective way of investing the £billions it will take to construct a third runway. All this LHR being unable to keep up with AMS, MAD, CDG or wherever. Then does it really matter, future UK needs would be well catered for by the existing facilities (Subject to demolition & rebuild of T1/T2) Capacity being made available by transiting pax going elsewhere, who really cares ? lost revenue will be more than covered by investing the development money elsewhere & all the LHR job moaners can themselves relocate to new opportunities created in investing the money elsewhere and see how they like it!