‘Who will do all the work?’: Heathrow’s third runway plan faces new obstacles

Heathrow’s management is poised to relaunch plans to build a third runway at the airport, assuming the government signals its strong support this week, marking the return of one of the UK’s most expensive and controversial infrastructure projects. Bosses at the UK’s hub airport are keen to seize on the sudden window of political opportunity that has opened up, with chancellor Rachel Reeves expected to signal her backing for the expansion in a major speech on economic growth this week. Heathrow CE Thomas Woldbye has long said the airport would only press ahead with the full support of government. The prospect of a third runway at Heathrow has alarmed residents, environmental groups and some Labour politicians, concerned about the prospect of higher carbon emissions as well as noise and air pollution in the local area. But it is the scale and cost of the construction that could pose the biggest barrier to expansion. People briefed on the airport’s plans said that if it went ahead, the current thinking would favour updating the pre-pandemic blueprint for a multibillion-pound megaproject outside the current perimeter. As well as a 3.5km runway and taxiways on land to the north-west of the airport’s current boundary, the work would also involve diverting the nearby M25 motorway into a tunnel to make room for the expansion. In the process, 750 homes and a primary school would be demolished.<br/>