Terminal 5 and Runway 3

Terminal 5

The council together with many others in London and the South East opposed the plan for a fifth terminal.  After a long running Public Inquiry the Government decided in favour of the expansion (November 2001).

The inquiry opened in May 1995 and included 525 days of hearings spread over 46 months. For more information visit the DFT website.

Terminal 5 will be huge. Its three million square feet of floor space will be as much as the existing four terminals put together.

The additional terminal will handle as many passengers as Gatwick and increase the present number using Heathrow to more than 100 million a year.

The inquiry inspector admitted in his findings that on safety grounds expansion at Gatwick or Stansted would have been preferable.

The first phase of the new terminal is expected to be ready by 2008 and work is well underway.

Runway 3

Having just given the go ahead for Terminal 5 the Government is now looking at options for providing extra runways in London and the South East.

This could involve a third runway at Heathrow, which would include the building of a 6th Terminal.

The Terminal 5 inspector himself came out against further expansion at Heathrow. He said this would be totally unacceptable.

The council strongly supports this view.