New plan for "Heathrow West"
 

Just picked this up in the Indy:

Ambitious plans for a four-runway airport near Heathrow are to be submitted to the Government as a solution to the aviation crisis that has divided the coalition, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

A world-leading infrastructure firm is assessing sites to the west and north-west of London which could rival, or even replace, Heathrow to challenge other European hubs in providing air links with the Far East. Sites in Oxfordshire and Berkshire could potentially be in the frame for the airport, estimated to cost £40bn to £60bn.

My first thoughts are - given the £20-50bn price tag for Boris Island, why is a land based option costing this much? Moreover, where the hell are they going to find the land in Ox / Bucks for such a grandiose scheme?

New London west airport
 

Secret Plans For 'London West' Airport

More daft ideas :ugh:

Has everyone in UK aviation planning taken leave of their senses?

"A world-leading infrastructure firm is assessing potential sites to the west and north-west of London.

They are understood to include possible sites in Oxfordshire and Berkshire."

This has to be a wind-up.

Building an airport where Swindon is would solve many problems. They could leave the rail station and the Steam museum.

It would have good road and rail access.

Tempting though wiping Swindon off the map might be, "the airport would need to be located within 30 minutes' travel of the capital" seems to rule that out.

Looking on the bright side, I expect a letter from BAA offering to buy my house for twice the market value will drop through my letter-box tomorrow. :O

So what possible site names might go into this particular back-to-the-future 'red herring' hat?

Lyneham
Greenham Common
Upper Heyford
Abingdon (wasn't that earmarked for a reservoir?)
Benson
Wing
Cublington?

Cublington was always the best option during the Roskill in the early 1970s. Not now with LTN about 10-20 miles away.

Probably not Wing and Cublington, given that they both refer to the same location. :*

Of the others, none of these comes within the 30-minutes-from London criterion, and none has more than one re-usable runway so I would expect the "planners" (using the term loosely) are looking at greenfield sites.

More gems from the Independent's scoop:

"Environmental and noise requirements: any new site will need to have a 16km long x 3.5km wide glide path either side of the airport, without overflying large built-up areas".

So no end of choices within half an hour W/NW of London, then. :*

"It is unclear if Heathrow would survive should the plans be accepted, though it is thought the two could complement each other in the first years of the new airport's operations."

"What this idea does is put people's pipedreams, like 'Boris Island', to one side and shifts the political debate away from Heathrow, to work on something that is based on properly grounded infrastructure requirements."

"A motion at the Liberal Democrats' annual conference in Brighton will "firmly" reject the Thames estuary airport, rule out new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, and propose better use of existing capacity. It also demands an "independent, evidence-based study to find a location for a hub airport or a suitable airport to expand into a hub for the long-term" which could clear the way for the consortium's proposal."

And my favourite:

"Unlike most other airports in Britain, Heathrow is almost at capacity already, with 70 million passengers arriving and departing in 2011. Every day 190,100 pass through on 1,250 flights, drinking 26,000 cups of tea."

Clearly something needs to be done urgently to get those tea consumption figures up.

IoS exclusive: Secret plan for four-runway airport west of Heathrow - News & Advice - Travel - The Independent

Sounds like a fine way for the Tories to threaten the safety of their safest seats.

Why not choose a runway layout inspired by Swindon's Magic Roundabout?All things are possible :)

Swindon could have already had an airport with a 6,000' runway ... except that the stupid baskets approved a Honda car plant to be built upon South Marston aerodrome!

Will be in a better place for most of the country that Boris Island, and more likely as a viable replacement for Heathrow. I guess the main problem is finding somewhere appropriate to put it without too many constraints (Ground space, Airspace, Posh NIMBYS, large populated ares etc!).

Lets preserve Swindon and its infamous round-about. But there are a couple of options potentionally avaliable beside the bl**ding obvious of runway three at LHR.......
Both of these are relatively close to Swindon.

Fairford one long runway already in place.......

and of course an already established international airport Brize Norton.......

Back to the bunker....

Xtype

Or how about six runways arranged in a Star of David? They could put the terminals in the middle until they run out of space. :O

Wroughton isn't far away either.
Colin.

Dunno

How about M4eathrow, its lovely and flat (in places), not going to get NIMBYs complaining and already has a number of Terminal Options..........aka Motorway services along the way.

4 rwy airport NEAR Heathrow
 

The key is "near Heathrow", so could it be Slough (also on the Great Western Railway, but with no magic roundabout) rather than Swindon that may be obliterated? Apologies to John Betjeman who thought of it first.

What on earth are they on man....and can I have some?

BTW where does the figure of 13mi. for the distance between LHR and NHT come from? It's actually 6 mi.. More sloppy journalism?

PS isn't "London West" FR-speak for Bournemouth-Hurn?

Hmm let's think, an existing airport with infrastructure located in the centre of all major road and rail networks, plenty of room for expansion. A 2 hour drive radius to most of the uk's population and when hs2 arrives half hourish from London! Brainwave? Answers on a postcard......

Ignore the fact it's north of the m25 :mad: