Building Design quotes Kevin Gibbs on Heathrow's plans for a third runway by end of next parliament

Heathrow Airport has outlined plans for a multi-billion-pound privately funded investment programme, which seeks to upgrade infrastructure, increase capacity, and advance proposals for a third runway. The phased programme follows the UK government’s recent support for expansion and will begin this year.

Kevin Gibbs, Senior Consultant in our Real Estate Planning team, reacts to the news in an article by Building Design. Kevin gives a view on the likelihood of the project's success, and what is required in the coming months and years if the third runway is to be delivered. He comments:

To say that [Heathrow's chief executive] Thomas Woldbye’s desire for planes to take off from a new runway before the end of the next Parliamentary term is ambitious would be an understatement. Amongst all the publicity surrounding support for a third runway, there are strong headwinds to be navigated.

"The big blocks to major infrastructure projects must be addressed if there is to be any chance of planes taking off from Heathrow in the near future. The updating of the Government’s formal policy on aviation, streamlining of the consenting process, and addressing legal challenging all need tackling urgently to give Heathrow Airport comfort that this project is deliverable.

"There is a glimmer of hope however, as the Labour administration is already committed to addressing these impediments – time will tell?

Read the full article in Building Design here (subscription required).