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Extended Northern Runway
Separate to Heathrow Airport’s proposal for a North-west runway is the independent proposal by Heathrow Hub to extend Heathrow’s existing northern runway to at least 6,800m, with a 640m safety zone in the middle, enabling the runway to be operated as two runways. The proposal, led by Captain William ‘Jock’ Lowe, Concorde’s longest serving pilot, is currently being considered by the UK Government after it was shortlisted as one of the final three proposals by the Airports Commission in its interim report in December 2013. The Commission estimates the cost of extending the northern runway to be around £13.5 billion, higher than Heathrow Hub's own estimate of £10.1 billion, but roughly £3bn cheaper than the cost estimated to implement a third North-west runway. The Commission also stated that Heathrow Hub’s extended Northern Runway would require the loss of only 242 homes compared to 783 for the Northwest Runway option, and its impacts on community facilities such as schools and health centres would also be much more limited.