A third runway at Heathrow won't bring growth, but it will hurt families like mine

29 January 2025, 14:04

A third runway won't bring growth, but it will hurt families like mine.
A third runway won't bring growth, but it will hurt families like mine. Picture: Getty

By Russell Warfield

A plane is coming in to land at Heathrow airport across a clear blue sky outside my window as I write these words.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

At the same time, the Chancellor is announcing her approval of a third runway at this airport, as well as expansions of other airports across the country.

As a resident of west London, a dad to young kids, and a citizen of the world, I say to the Chancellor: we simply can’t go ahead with these reckless plans.

The Chancellor says that building new runways will bring growth, but the evidence doesn’t support her claim. The Department for Transport’s own report found that there’s two conditions for economic growth being delivered by aviation: business flights, and increased inward tourism.

Business travel has flatlined for over twenty years in the UK, and hasn’t picked up even since GDP has recovered to normal levels after the pandemic. And when it comes to tourism, we’re running a deficit of over £40bn, with far more of us flying overseas to spend our money abroad than people coming here to spend in our communities.

On both counts, there’s no reason to think that an extra runway will boost the economy. Instead, it will only benefit a small number of UK residents who take the majority of flights, while subjecting families like mine to more air pollution and more noise pollution.

Almost no other European city subjects its residents to the sort of harm from airports which Londoners are made to suffer. The noise pollution alone affects more people than the five main European competitor airports combined. If we built a new runway, the number of people like me who are affected would nearly double, from just over 300,000 people to 600,000.

But the roar of increased air traffic is nothing compared to the silent scream of our carbon budgets bursting at the seams. Put simply, there is absolutely no way we can expand Heathrow - or any other airport in the country - while staying on track to meet our climate commitments.

The Climate Change Committee has been completely clear on this. There’s no pathway to hitting net zero by 2050 if you build new runways. So far, the Chancellor has gestured vaguely towards new types of fuel and electric planes, but neither can deliver at the speed and scale required in the short time we have left to slash emissions.

What is the point of setting up a panel of independent experts and asking them to set specific recommendations for action, if the government is just going to ignore them?

The good news is that there’s no conflict between a strong economy and a safe climate. If the Chancellor wants to drive growth, she should direct investment towards the transition to clean energy, warm homes and a decarbonised economy, which creates more jobs and better return on investment than aviation expansion would deliver.

There’s still a long way to go before a third runway becomes a reality, and the Chancellor will have a fight on her hands. A coalition of justifiably opposed local residents, concerned citizens, the legal force of the UK’s carbon budgets and hard economic facts will come together to ensure these dangerous plans don’t go ahead.

If the Chancellor has her way, the noise of new planes might stop my young children from falling asleep, but it’s the thought of their future which will be keeping me up at night.

________________

Russell Warfield lives under the flight path of Heathrow in west London and works for climate charity Possible.

LBC Views provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email views@lbc.co.uk