Norman Foster and Boris Johnson dismiss MPs' Heathrow report
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Transport committee ‘failed to consider cost of burying M25 and extending Tube’
Foster & Partners has hit back after MPs dismissed their plans for an airport in the Thames estuary as “unacceptable”.
The House of Commons transport select committee has issued a report that firmly backs an expanded Heathrow.
It urges the government to press ahead with a third runway in west London and to consider a fourth.
It dismisses an east-of-London option on the grounds that it would require too much investment in transport infrastructure, would lead to the “unacceptable” closure of Heathrow and would have a potentially substantial impact on wildlife in the Thames estuary.
But proponents of an eastern hub airport – who include Foster & Partners, Gensler and Mayor of London Boris Johnson – were swift to rubbish the report.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Johnson said a third runway at Heathrow would be obsolete as soon as it was built and that a four-runway hub was the only realistic option. This would have to be built slightly west of Heathrow’s existing location, he said.
“It would probably be cheaper to move London slightly to the east,” he quipped.
“What the Heathrow-ites fail to be quite clear about is there would be tremendous amount of new transport infrastructure necessitated by such a huge project, the cost of which would be directly comparable [with that needed to support a Thames estuary airport].”
Fosters put out a detailed statement (see attachment) which concluded: “We believe these proposals to expand aviation capacity at Heathrow are ill-founded technically and would perpetuate unacceptable environmental impacts on Londoners. They are therefore not the right answer.
“Now is the time to look for a long-term answer which minimises impacts and guarantees maximum future potential and flexibility.”
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