The Mayor of London and Transport for London have formally opposed Heathrow's third runway plans, submitting a joint response on Wednesday 2 September to the government's consultation on its draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), which closed that day.
Sir Sadiq Khan said the strategic case for expansion "relies on outdated evidence that fails to reflect current climate laws and travel habits," according to the BBC. "The evidence suggests Heathrow expansion is a risk that we simply cannot afford to take," he said, adding that he will continue to "vehemently oppose these plans."
City Hall's submission argues the expansion could add 60,000 extra daily road trips and 22 million additional journeys a year to the M4 and M25, and puts the cost of required surface transport upgrades, including to the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines, at 9 billion pounds with no funding agreement yet in place. It also says a 58 per cent rise in flights would cut predictable noise-free periods for residents from half the day to a quarter.
The mayor's opposition was reinforced by new modelling from the University of Manchester's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, commissioned by Friends of the Earth, which found UK aviation is already forecast to exceed legally binding carbon limits in the seventh carbon budget even before a third runway is built, The Independent reported. A Friends of the Earth spokesperson described the expansion as "the climate equivalent of pouring petrol on a raging wildfire."