How about petitioning Sir Humphrey to pay for digging up and relocating the complex web of essential utilities which is apparently preventing the much-needed expansion of MAN T3? Then I'm sure MAG would be happy to pay for the actual apron works itself from in-house resources. Surely an innovation enabling such a fundamentally beneficial strategic development is valuable to UK plc in the same context as comparable enabling works in the SE at LHR or LGW? If the forthcoming LHR/LGW decision does set a precedent of this sort, MAG should be ready to submit their own bid accordingly!
Good idea, sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander and all that.
One problem, it's unlikely that there will be a decision to expand Heathrow, but there will be more dithering, procrastination, prevarication and indecisiveness.
This means that (1) a great deal of public money has been wasted on the airport commission, and (2) no precedent has been or will be set.
Maybe in this case Ringway should set the precedent rather than follow one.......