HEATHROW

[Fairdealfrank]

Quote: "Fairdealfrank.

Boris Island is surely unviable for many reasons, firstly many of the LHR workers live around the West . Wouldn't be too far for many to travel if its way east ?."

Er Nigel, have been arguing consistently over the years that Silver Fantasy Island is a non-starter for a variety of reasons.

You are right, people wouldn't be able to commute, it's much too far and it would not be a difficult, long and expensive commute anyway (accross London, many changes).

They either move (unlikely) or Silver/Fantasy Island wouldn't have an experienced work force (more likely). This would involve the recruitment and training expenses of starting from scratch, while simultaneously creating an unemployment and redeployment problem in the Thames valley. Brilliant!

Quote: "Perhaps the only viable option would be to have a 4 runway airport to the west or north west of London. You already have road and rail connections close by and the workers could stay put.

However Im not from the London area and have no idea if there is such a location with enough land free ??

Nigel"

Yes this is correct and was recomended in 1971, when they were looking at a third London airport and recommended Cublington (Bucks, near Aylesbury).

We already have a large 2-rwy airport west of London: Heathrow. It makes sense to build on what we have, there is sufficient land around Heathrow, to the north of the airport and spreading west from there. Tunneling part of the M25 and A4 would be necessary, but probably preferable to demolishing Stanwell and Stanwellmoor. Sipson is already blighted and has been for years (because of the dithering).

Bear in mind that a 3rd and 4th rwy at Heathrow don't have to be as long as the existing 2.



Quote: "At an airport we have an additional problem that very few people will actually cycle to the airport to catch a flight - and that's the same even at airports in cities with very high cycling rates (AMS, CPH etc). You just don't stuff a 23kg suitcase in your panniers, and even if you're going on a cycling holiday, chances are bike goes in a box, then car or taxi to airport."

Would imagine that it would be employees/staff cycling on to the airport rather than pax.



Quote: "I think the country missed its chance back in the 70s when it might have developed the site at Wing between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard. It will have to be best UK fudge now so my money's still on runway 3 at LHR and a second at LGW.

Watch this space."

No, that was one of the sites looked at for in 1971 when they recommended Cublington. As mentioned above they were looking for a site for a "third" London airport.

This implies that it would have been a relatively small 1-rwy job not a 4-rwy Heathrow replacement. In the end neither site was chosen and Stansted took over the role of being the "third" London airport.

What Luton was supposed to be at that time who knows!

Think Heathrow will have 4 parallel rwys before Gatwick sees a second. A 4-rwy Heathrow makes another at Gatwick unnecessary.

Wouldn't like to put a timescale on it, just hope to live long enough to see it, and reap the benefit (as a pax)!