<<just because a 747 may find this a bit tight doesn't mean that everybody else should have to fly with the same constraints.>>
In the absence of traffic, the only reasons for "restraints" are a) local procedures - noise abatement, etc., and b) airline SOPs. In the absence of such, ATC will let you get on with it. I've seen plenty of visual approaches turn on at 2-3 miles at Heathrow although rarely involving large aircraft.