Hey DD,
2 slight flaws in you argument. Firstly, your comment about "Cleared to land" for similar type, at similar speed etc is kind of sweeping (Now before it starts, I know every unit has it's own complexity issues, so we will not start down that route, I'm being UK specific). For the arrivals controller, throw in the mix of crossing a/c from T4 to get to the north runway, 1 or 2 police helicopters blatting about doing security checks as well as the crosser from the south that didn't take the hold instruction at Bedfont, the Air France that has rolled long and is taking an age to get off the runway, as well as the 777 the Fin controller has stuffed up it's a$$ in an attempt to try and land 48 a/c in an hour. It's the workload I believe that is the underlying issue of Point 7's druken ramblings.
Secondly, I think you'll find that arrivals CAN and DO use the departure runway. This happens when significant inbound delays occur. And chances are if it's busy in the holds, it's busy on the gound. And Departures can and do use the arrival runway as well.
And we won't even mention GMC that has been bandboxed due sickness. Oh, and what's that, very strong wind from the south, looks like 23 operations on its way!
(Sorry Plaz, trying to be mature!)
And in closing,we could start the old Approach/Tower vs Area thing again as well from the ever popular "which is the easyier option" thread rears it's head again. But that has been flogged to death so many times, I think they are talking about making it into a film.
As I said, its a workload thing......................