LONDON (AP) — The British Cabinet is expected to approve the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, and to put the long-running issue up for a parliamentary vote.

The economic secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, told the BBC on Tuesday, "we need to expand our capacity and this is the right thing to do."

The location of a new runway in southeastern England has been debated for years amid concerns over pollution, traffic and noise.

The Department for Transportation last year asked the public for comments on the plans to build the runway at Heathrow, arguing the project would permit an additional 260,000 flights a year and add 74 billion pounds ($99 billion) to the British economy over 60 years.