Transport secretary Chris Grayling has given the go-ahead to plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport following a cabinet committee meeting on Tuesday. The Heathrow expansion plan has been incredibly polarising, splitting the Cabinet and serving as an ongoing source of heated debate within the British press. The government’s decision to move forward with the plans will now be subject to a public consultation process, after which a final decision on the plans will be announced as part of a national policy statement on aviation.

Divided opinions

The government has promised that expanding Heathrow will bring benefits to passangers and the broader UK economy worth up to £61bn per year, including the creation of around 77,000 new jobs over the next 14 years. However, opponents of the plan have pointed out the likely effects of the project on local residents near the airport, including increases in air and noise pollution. Among the plan’s critics is Mayor of London Sadiq Khan: ‘There are more people affected by noise because of Heathrow than people affected by airports in Paris, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich and Madrid combines,’ he said. ‘The air in London is a killer. It makes you sick and it’s unlawful.’

Tender process begins

Having now received the go-ahead to continue the planning process, Heathrow Airport Holdings is looking to launch a formal tender process for legal roles in the project’s upcoming stages. Berwin Leighton Paisner and Pinsent Masons both already hold positions as external advisers to Heathrow’s in-house legal team, as well as sitting on the company’s sub-panel for planning and property alongside Eversheds and Herbert Smith Freehills. DLA Piper, on the other hand, has been taken the lead on advising the UK Department of Transport on matters relating to the Heathrow expansion. With the Airports Commission predicting that construction on the runway is unlikely to begin until at least 2020, most pundits are predicting a slew of legal efforts to block the plan before ground is broken.

Sources: Legal Week; BBC