FLB,
How they would deal with the U turn is another matter!
They couldn't. Justine Greening has bought a token piece of land to show her support for anti-LHR campaigners. She could be moved on, but.....
There is a deluded belief very high up in govt that HS2 is a replacement for LHR3, even through the former improves the case for the latter!
However, I still don't think LHR can get its third runway, partly because of the huge noise footprint it already has, but also because there are too many marginal seats that would scream blue murder if it went ahead.
They are going to consult on Boris Island and the utterly pointless Heathwick - but they may well find that doing so will result in challenges to re-open the case for expansion at all London airports.
Whatever the technical merits, a runway at Gatwick would not cause the same political backlash, as seats around it are already blue - and
afaik reasonably safe. So what will they do - run to UKIP?
Even with all the outrage over HS2, I think UKIP have picked up maybe 3 councillors?
LGW's footprint is tiny, but I don't think the idea of a megahub would work. Where else does it work? Twin hubs do work in places, and they have to be more acceptable than the domestic-international theme that seems quite popular in Asia - although these are getting watered down too.
If the £5bn earmarked for Heathwick was put towards a faster through connection from LGW to the other side of Zone 1 - then LGW's otherwise disadvantageous position could be neutralised.
I just can't see how two totally detached sets of runways and terminal could work, but this government will consider anything (and I say that as one of them).