Sir Edward Lister, Boris Johnson’s chief of staff and deputy mayor for planning, today said that a third runway at Heathrow would only be “a temporary fix”, despite an open letter from industry leaders calling for it to be considered.

In an open letter to the Telegraph on Sunday this week, around 70 business leaders called for the debate to be opened again on increasing capacity at Heathrow.

However, speaking to Property Week at the MIPIM conference in Cannes today, Lister said a third runway would only provide a “temporary fix”.

He also discussed the mayoral race, saying Johnson’s rival, Ken Livingstone, is stuck “in the 80s”. He also discussed the future of Battersea Power Station, pledging that the Mayor’s office would not allow the site to lie undeveloped for the next five to ten years.

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