The Telegraph reports that senior Conservative Party sources "said that they believe a cabinet subcommittee will this week back plans for a third runway at the airport." The newspaper says that if the expansion does get the go-ahead as expected, "it is believed there will be a series of restrictions imposed on the airport to limit noise and pollution. It is also believed that there will be a commitment not to build a fourth runway."
The Guardian reports that the company developing the High Speed Two rail link "has been told to pay thousands of pounds to a rural community for a ‘catalogue of errors’ in dealing with their plea to be helped to stay together when their homes are demolished to make way for the high-speed rail link." The newspaper says that a probe by the parliamentary ombudsman found that HS2 Ltd "placed six families in Staffordshire under ‘severe stress and worry’, which had a huge impact on their home lives, careers and health." HS2 "gave the community false hope that they would be able to relocate their tiny hamlet, near Lichfield, to a nearby site so they could continue living close to each other", the newspaper adds.
The Times (subscription required) reports that a new generation of trains "capable of running on tram tracks as well as railways will be introduced as part of plans to improve commuter connections into city centres." The paper says that the "new tram-train system will operate in Sheffield before being extended to other cities, such as Birmingham."
A developer "has sparked outrage in a tiny rural village over proposals to build the UK's biggest refugee centre with capacity for up to 1,800 migrants", the Telegraph reports. The newspaper says that the proposed refugee centre "would be created in the village of Littleton-upon-Severn - which has just 100 residents. Property developer Charlie Tull wants to convert a disused business park into a 'one stop shop' for people fleeing war in the Middle East."
Times columnist Libby Purves says that the "arrogant extreme rich" deserve "contempt" for "ruining the peace of London" by developing huge basement extensions.
