Designs unveiled by architects show that 190,000 new homes, parkland or a factory could replace Heathrow if it closes.
Various ‘Heathrow City’ designs have been commissioned by Transport for London and backed by London mayor Boris Johnson who wants a Thames estuary hub airport.
Johnson said Heathrow redevelopment was needed given the demand for homes.
The government’s Airports Commission will decide in 2015 whether an estuary airport is feasible.
The Heathrow City plan outlines the future if the Airports Commission rejects plans for a third runway and selects the so-called ‘Boris island’ Thames estuary option.
Architects Hawkins Brown suggests a factory for self-build modular homes on the Heathrow site where people could order homes to their own specifications.
Rick Mather Architects’ proposal would see the airport site becoming a new hub city by using the existing runways and terminals to define the structure of the city and connect 10 local centres.
Maccreanor Lavington’s vision for Heathrow City (pictured) aims to “develop a fully functioning city within the capital” and large tracts of woodland would be planted.
A technology campus would be built to the east of the current site along with new housing, and the newly re-opened Terminal 2 would be renovated to become a civic centre and retail hub.
The BBC quoted Johnson as saying: “The demand for new homes and jobs in the capital is such that we must be ready to start redeveloping Heathrow the moment it moves to its new site. And the sooner we start planning the better.
“However, the key point is that all these scenarios would potentially create some of the many thousands of new jobs and homes this city will require given London is expected to increase in size by a fifth within the next 15 years.”
The Airports Commission will decide next year whether the mayor’s estuary plan will join short-listed options to expand Heathrow and Gatwick.