Surrey County Council leader says Heathrow runway would require 70,800 new homes and 56 new schools
Surrey County Council leader, David Hodge, says Surrey will require investment in infrastructure if there is a 3rd Heathrow runway. Speaking at the RunwaysUK conference David Hodge said that before a new runway is built 70,800 new homes need to be built in the local area surrounding Heathrow over the next 15 years. This area includes 14 boroughs surrounding Heathrow, including Spelthorne and Runnymede. This would also mean an additional 50 new primary schools and 6 secondary schools would be essential. He said: “We are not against expansion of either Gatwick or Heathrow… but we can only support expansion if the necessary investment in local infrastructure is put in place first.” There need to be significant transport improvements in the area for a Heathrow runway, including adding a 4th lane to the M25 between junctions 10 to 16. Also a new rail service to Waterloo from Heathrow, and more coach and bus links to Camberley, Woking and Guildford would be needed. He added that is not the only priority if there is expansion: “investment will need to go well beyond improving transport links.” [All this comes at a cost to the taxpayer – and would not be paid for by Heathrow.] TfL has said the cost could be as much as £20 billion. See below.
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Seventy thousand new homes and fifty-six schools needed if Heathrow expands
11th July 2015 (Eagle Radio)
Surrey County Council leader, David Hodge, says Surrey will require investment in infrastructure.
This comes after the Airports Commission approved the plans for a new runway to be built at Heathrow Airport.
Hodge told a Runways UK conference (7th and 8th July) that before a new runway is built at Heathrow 70,800 new homes need to be built in the local area surrounding Heathrow over the next fifteen years.
This would also mean an additional fifty new primary schools and six secondary schools would be essential.
Speaking in front of aviation experts, the Council leader said “We are not against expansion of either Gatwick or Heathrow… but we can only support expansion if the necessary investment in local infrastructure is put in place first.”
To support the expansion of the UK’s largest and busiest airport, there will also need to be significant transport improvements in the area.
This will include a fourth lane being added to the M25 between junctions 10 to 16. A new rail service to Waterloo from the airport and more coach and bus links to Camberley, Woking and Guildford will also be needed.
However Hodge says that is not the only priority if there is expansion adding “investment will need to go well beyond improving transport links.”
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Heathrow expansion means more than 70,000 new homes and 56 schools
More than 70,000 new homes and 56 new schools will be needed if Heathrow is expanded, aviation experts have heard.
Surrey County Council leader David Hodge told a Runways UK conference:
- Expanding the airport could require up to 70,800 homes to be built in the local area* over the next 15 years
- That would mean a need for 50 more primary schools and six new secondary schools.
He discussed the figures contained in last week’s Airports Commission report after giving a speech in which he stressed that before any new runway is built at Heathrow or Gatwick there needs to be investment in local infrastructure.
Mr Hodge said: “We are not against expansion of either Gatwick or Heathrow. There are national and local benefits – especially economic – from both but we can only support expansion if the necessary investment in local infrastructure is put in place first.
“As a starting point for Heathrow, we need a fourth lane on the M25 from junctions 10 to 16, widening work at junction 11, a new rail service to Waterloo from the airport via Staines and more coaches and buses to link it to places like Camberley, Woking and Guildford.
“And if we are to be certain that our residents will see the benefit of the extra schools, homes and environmental measures that expansion requires, investment will need to go well beyond improving transport links.”
* The 14 boroughs surrounding Heathrow, including Spelthorne and Runnymede.
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See also
Access to expanded Heathrow could cost £20 billion, TfL warns – maybe £15 billion more from the taxpayer than Commission estimate
Transport for London (TfL) has raised “serious concerns” about congestion and the costs of expansion at Heathrow just weeks before the Airports Commission’s final recommendation is due (end of June?). TFL Response to APPG on Surface Access Feb 2015 In response to questions by Zac Goldsmith, TfL said both Heathrow and Commission had “significantly underestimated” the challenge of improving transport access to the site, with the Airports Commission estimating £5 billion would be enough to make the improvements. TfL believes to provide an optimal level of service, the figure would be nearer to £20 billion, raising questions about who would pay the additional costs. TfL said population growth of 37% by 2050 has also not been taken into account, with regards to the increased pressure on London’s roads and public transport infrastructure, Zac said: “TfL is better placed than any other organisation to understand the effects Heathrow expansion will have on London’s transport network, and it is extraordinary therefore that the Commission never bothered to ask for its assessment. This raises serious questions about the thoroughness and reliability of the Commission’s work. If TfL is right, the taxpayer may end up having to cough up an additional £15 billion to help Heathrow secure its monopoly, in addition to all the associated problems of gridlock, noise and air pollution.”
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