05-08-2025
Why will Heathrow's third runway be such a long haul?
Q On Heathrow: why will it take 10 years to build what is basically a small road?
Aaron M
A Heathrow airport has just published its long-awaited plans for a third runway. They are basically the same as those recommended by the Davies Commission a decade ago after years of consultation: a 3,500m runway to the northwest of the present airport. In one sense, this is a road a couple of miles long. So why indeed should it take 10 years to build and cost £21bn (plus an additional £12bn for terminal capacity)?
First, because even after years of discussion that have led to these 'shovel-ready' proposals, the planning process will drag on for several more years. The Department for Transport is now considering Heathrow's proposals as well as cheaper competing options. When the choice is made, the next process involves work on a Development Consent Order (DCO). That will involve yet another public consultation on Heathrow's expansion and is likely to take around 18 months.
The Planning Inspectorate will consider the application and make a recommendation to the transport secretary, who will decide whether to grant the DCO. Assuming the scheme is approved, in line with Labour's commitment to growth, opponents of expansion are certain to launch legal challenges to the minister's decision.
Heathrow cannot begin construction until that process is completed. At present, the best hope among proponents of the third runway is that work will begin by July 2029, ie within the lifetime of the present parliament.
That leaves six years before the 2035 vow for planes to be taking off and landing. It still looks like a long time for this strip of concrete. But it is rather more complicated than the average road. Hundreds of homes must be demolished first.
The third runway is intended to stretch across the current route of the M25, which will be relocated into a tunnel. Vast amounts of work will need to be carried out to connect the new facility to the existing airport, which itself will be extensively remodelled – all the while remaining open to air traffic for 19 hours a day.
Accordingly, 2035 begins to look optimistic. Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, says the new runway will not open until 2040 at the earliest – not that he has any intention of using the expanded Heathrow, unlike rival easyJet.
Q Have you ever been to a destination that you'd never go back to?
Lou Gray
A Plenty. In almost every case, though, I will not return even though I greatly enjoyed the place on one or more previous visits. It's just because there are so many more places to see. For example, I regard Orkney and Shetland, the Northern Isles of Scotland, as among the most beautiful, intriguing and rewarding destinations in the world. But I have visited each archipelago twice, explored thoroughly, met some lovely people and enjoyed some superb food. With other Scottish islands unvisited, such as Jura and Colonsay in the west, I have no plans to return to the north.
The same applies to many other destinations I have been fortunate enough to visit: I thoroughly enjoyed a week in Missouri last year, but don't feel the US state has many secrets left to reveal. And just last week I was in the Greek island of Paros; I don't expect ever to return to its simplicity and beauty since there are dozens of other islands in the Aegean I want to see.
If, though, you meant where have I found underwhelming, thankfully, there are very few. On a cruise taking in Greenland and Arctic Canada, I found the ports of call mostly sad places, reflecting the deep social problems faced by these locations – though my view may have been coloured by the shambolic running of the operation by the Canadian travel firm.
Conversely, there are some locations to which I will return repeatedly. They are mainly 'world cities' with many dimensions and are constantly reinventing themselves. These include Paris, Istanbul, Mumbai, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Chicago and New York. (In different times, I would add Moscow and St Petersburg to that list.) And also great mountain ranges: the Alps, Pyrenees and Himalayas have so many facets and endless beauty.
Q I am travelling to New Zealand in December with my partner. We have an eight-hour stop at Hong Kong. Is it straightforward to leave the airport and see the place for a few hours before returning for our next flight?
Degsy M
A Yes. Your baggage will be checked through to New Zealand, allowing you to explore unencumbered, and you will have your boarding pass for the onward flight. Thankfully, immigration into Hong Kong is invariably swift, and the Airport Express train takes only 24 minutes to reach Hong Kong Island, for a fare of HK$130 (about £10) each way. The final stop locates you perfectly for exploring Hong Kong Central – probably the most exciting part of this hyperactive territory. Head for Man Mo Temple, a Taoist place of worship dedicated to the gods of literature (Man) and war (Mo). Wander through the interior as colourful as it is reverential, with smouldering coils of incense providing a heavenly aroma.
A short walk away, explore PMQ: the 'Police Married Quarters' dormitory complex built in 1951. The police officers and their spouses have moved out to cosier accommodation. Bright young sparks have moved in, filling the mid-century architectural masterpiece with workshops, galleries and boutiques. And along at Tai Kwun, you find evidence of the British colonial one-stop shop of crime prevention, comprising Central Police Station, the Central Magistracy (now a restaurant) and Victoria Prison – where, once upon a time, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh was on trial. Today, the complex is a venue for enlightenment.
Begin your journey back to the airport by taking the iconic Star Ferry across the harbour to Kowloon, on the mainland. Make your way to West Kowloon Cultural District, a creative hub appropriately created on reclaimed land. The key attraction: M+, a vast new museum that celebrates Hong Kong's visual culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. Like Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the structure itself is as compelling as the contents.
Kowloon station is a five-minute walk away – and in just 22 minutes the Airport Express will whisk you back to the space-age terminal for your onward flight. Security is swift, so plan to be back at the airport just an hour or so before departure.
