Britain’s plans to expand Heathrow Airport cause worries about pollution, lost homes

The British government’s support for expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport after decades of delays has immediately generated outrage from politicians and residents who point to the expected loss of hundreds of homes, increased air pollution and other environmental damage.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party saw lawmaker Zac Goldsmith resign in protest and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson brand the plan “undeliverable,” while other opponents threatened to mount a legal challenge.

Johnson, the former mayor of London, has said he would lie down in front of bulldozers to prevent expansion at the airport, Europe’s busiest. Critics have said the expansion would bring increased air pollution and noise.

“No other great city would do this to its inhabitants,” Johnson said after Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the government’s decision Tuesday. “New York is going to be the city of beautiful skyscrapers, Paris the city of lights and London in the future, if we go ahead with this project, will be known as the city of planes.”

A decision on whether to expand Heathrow Airport has long been a subject of intense political debate but a resolution has eluded previous governments, which became bogged down in legal, political and planning issues.

Grayling’s announcement about a decision to build a third runway begins a process that is expected to lead to a parliamentary vote next year. The project’s estimated cost is about $22 billion and it would require the demolition of about 800 homes, officials said.

Advocates of the expansion emphasize the airport has been operating at 98% capacity for a decade and soon will be unable to compete with other international hubs unless a third runway is approved.

May and Grayling told lawmakers that the expansion would create 77,000 local jobs and bring a $75-billion boost to the economy, which has been faltering after a June referendum in which 52% of British voters favored leaving the 28-nation European Union.

“After decades of delay we are showing that we will take the big decisions when they’re the right decisions for Britain, and we will ensure they’re right for ordinary working people too,” May said.

If the project ultimately receives final approval, it is unlikely that any new runway would be operational until 2025.

Goldsmith, who in May failed in a bid to become London mayor, represented a constituency in leafy West London that lies directly under the Heathrow flight path.

Boyle is a special correspondent.