DEBATE: Should the Heathrow expansion go ahead?
Following a court ruling in favour of environmentalists, should the Heathrow expansion go ahead?
Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chamber of Commerce, says YES.
Business communities across the UK will be bitterly disappointed that plans for a world-leading hub airport are now at risk. Without expansion, firms risk losing crucial regional connectivity and access to key markets across the world.
The benefits of a third runway would extend far beyond south-east England. Hundreds of UK companies are already invested in the supply chain for expansion, and tens of thousands of additional jobs will be created if the project goes ahead.
Heathrow and the wider aviation sector have set ambitious emissions targets, and like every industry must continue to become greener. Britain’s future depends on investment in a modern, integrated, low-carbon transport infrastructure that keeps trade flowing while minimising environmental impacts.
There has never been a more important time to demonstrate that Britain is open for business. The government must back the expansion unequivocally and take all necessary steps to move the project forward.
Alex Chapman, researcher at the New Economics Foundation, says NO.
The case for Heathrow expansion is rotten throughout. That it got this far — in the midst of a climate emergency — is testament to the airport’s highly effective lobbying machine.
The proposed expansion has the carbon footprint of a small country. Technological development is important, but it will not fix this problem, nor will “net out of jail free” net-zero carbon offsetting schemes.
The court said that the government had not properly considered its international climate commitments. These obligations mean that the number of flights must stop growing.
The economic case doesn’t stack up either. Heathrow expansion flies in the face of Boris Johnson’s pledge to “level up” the UK economy. The vast majority of flights are taken by a minority of wealthy frequent-flyers.
New research from the New Economics Foundation uses previously unpublished government data to show that the scheme would hammer regional economies, shifting up to 27,000 jobs and £43bn of GDP to the south east.
Main image credit: Getty