caucatc,
assuming HD works at Heathrow...
I would say that there isn't so much of an issue at Heathrow because there is currently very little scope for arrivals on multiple runways. With the exception of one hour in the morning when both runways are used for arrivals, it is otherwise fixed by design (so no choice).
There is also the design of the runway to consider (not just it's location to the terminal) , e.g. at Heathrow the two runways are not identical, such as the location of the RETs, which makes one more suitable for arrivals than for departures.