Latest news with #StopHeathrowExpansion
The Independent
31-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Heathrow airport expansion will smash our community, say nearby villagers
Campaigners in a village which could be partially demolished to make way for a third runway at Heathrow airport have said the plans could 'smash our community'. Hundreds of homes could be demolished in the west London villages of Harmondsworth and Longford if the expansion gets the green light. Justine Bayley, who lives in Harmondsworth and is chairwoman of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group, said the scheme risked wiping most of the village. She told the PA news agency: 'It's inevitable that demolishing hundreds of homes will smash up a community. 'We have two pubs and two shops that would become unviable because of a lack of customers. 'There's a bus route that would have to disappear because there's a runway in the way. 'You'd end up with people being left behind … (but) the community would be gone.' Ms Bayley, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said her home would not be demolished but would be roughly '50 paces' from the boundary of the new runway. She added: 'There is some disbelief that it will actually go ahead. 'It's not the first time we've been here and this is the last in a series of proposals. 'There are many different views in the village and some, particularly those who can't sell their houses at the moment, are just wanting clarity. 'Some people think any decision is better than no decision.' The airport wants to build a third runway to raise capacity and boost resilience. In a speech on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves highlighted the scheme among a throng of major projects she said the Government would support. Ms Reeves later said she wanted to see the expansion completed by 2035 and added the whole Cabinet is 'united' behind the plan. Richard Young, vicar at the St Mary the Virgin church in Harmondsworth, said the plans 'cut very deeply' for residents living in what he described as a 'tight-knit community'. He added: 'If it went ahead, it would have a devastating effect on the place. The vast majority of it would disappear. 'The church would stay but the community around it would go. '(The plans) have been talked about for decades and has been a blight hanging over everyone's heads. ' People can't move because no one wants to buy their homes. 'People love living here. It's their home. 'There's anxiety, fear and anger. 'But there's also tension because some people hold different views.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Heathrow airport expansion will smash our community, say nearby villagers
Campaigners in a village which could be partially demolished to make way for a third runway at Heathrow airport have said the plans could 'smash our community'. Hundreds of homes could be demolished in the west London villages of Harmondsworth and Longford if the expansion gets the green light. Justine Bayley, who lives in Harmondsworth and is chairwoman of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group, said the scheme risked wiping most of the village. She told the PA news agency: 'It's inevitable that demolishing hundreds of homes will smash up a community. 'We have two pubs and two shops that would become unviable because of a lack of customers. 'There's a bus route that would have to disappear because there's a runway in the way. 'You'd end up with people being left behind … (but) the community would be gone.' Ms Bayley, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said her home would not be demolished but would be roughly '50 paces' from the boundary of the new runway. She added: 'There is some disbelief that it will actually go ahead. 'It's not the first time we've been here and this is the last in a series of proposals. 'There are many different views in the village and some, particularly those who can't sell their houses at the moment, are just wanting clarity. 'Some people think any decision is better than no decision.' The airport wants to build a third runway to raise capacity and boost resilience. In a speech on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves highlighted the scheme among a throng of major projects she said the Government would support. Ms Reeves later said she wanted to see the expansion completed by 2035 and added the whole Cabinet is 'united' behind the plan. Richard Young, vicar at the St Mary the Virgin church in Harmondsworth, said the plans 'cut very deeply' for residents living in what he described as a 'tight-knit community'. He added: 'If it went ahead, it would have a devastating effect on the place. The vast majority of it would disappear. 'The church would stay but the community around it would go. '(The plans) have been talked about for decades and has been a blight hanging over everyone's heads. 'People can't move because no one wants to buy their homes. 'People love living here. It's their home. 'There's anxiety, fear and anger. 'But there's also tension because some people hold different views.'
Khaleej Times
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
'Very sad' west Londoners oppose Heathrow expansion
In the historic west London village of Harmondsworth, Justine Bayley pointed to where Heathrow Airport's new boundary would likely sit once a third runway is built -- just yards from her home. "I'd need to put my ear defenders on every time I opened the front door," said the 74-year-old, her neat garden dotted with green signs that read "Stop Heathrow Expansion". Harmondsworth -- about an hour's train ride from central London -- has a quintessential English village feel, with its 12th-century church, grocery store, green and two pubs. But this 1,500-strong community and the neighbouring hamlet of Longford face an uncertain future after UK finance minister Rachel Reeves announced Wednesday that the government backs a new runway at Heathrow. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government hopes extending capacity at Europe's busiest airport will help spur much-needed economic growth for the country. Previous plans for extending the site have proposed bulldozing several hundred homes across the twin villages, which date back to the Anglo-Saxon period. "We're quite a close tight-knit community," said Bayley, chair of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group which campaigns against the proposed development. "A lot of people have been here 50 years plus. Their history, their memories are bound up with the houses they live in. "You can't reconstruct the community because we would be scattered everywhere," she told AFP, in front of yellow posters in her window that scream "No Third Runway". While Harmondsworth's streets are quaint and quiet, the same can't always be said for the skies above where planes can regularly be seen and heard descending towards or ascending from Heathrow. Out walking in the streets was 55-year-old Leon Jennion who has lived in Longford for three decades. When planes take off and land at Europe's biggest airport by passenger numbers his house shakes and conversations in the garden need to be paused until the aircraft have passed. "It's disruptive," said Jennion, who like many people in the area has a job related to the airport. "You hear plates rattling in your cupboards and various ornaments on shelves, and doors rattling with the vibrations." He says his home is almost certain to be demolished if the third runway goes ahead and added he would be "very sad" to leave Longford. But Jennion also hoped Reeves's announcement will finally lead to some certainty after proposals to expand Heathrow have been mooted for the best part of two decades. "I don't want to be having a threat around me anymore," said the father of a teenage child. "I just want to be able to go and, not restart my life, but just continue it somewhere decent." Outside The Five Bells pub, 18-year-old student Fletcher Rodger said he has "mixed feelings" about the plans for runway number three. "If it provides as much economic growth as the government says it's going to then unfortunately I have to say I don't mind too much. "There's always winners and there's always losers," he said. Just steps away, 63-year-old Hylton Garriock wore a red hoodie emblazoned with the words "Stop Heathrow Expansion" as he manned a stand for the eponymous campaign group. Beside him, draped over a wall, was a cloth mural boasting a giant closeup image of a plane to depict the view that the campaign group says residents will ultimately face. He stressed that more flights will worsen climate change. "Keep within the boundaries. Make a better Heathrow, not a bigger Heathrow," Garriock told AFP. Proposals to expand Heathrow have long been dogged by legal challenges, political opposition and fears over the effect it would have on the environment and noise pollution. Back at Bayley's house, parts of which date to 16th century, the activist was hopeful the plans will be stopped. "I don't want to move. I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else in my life," she said. "We haven't lost a campaign yet, and we're not intending to lose this one either."
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Very sad' west Londoners oppose Heathrow expansion
In the historic west London village of Harmondsworth, Justine Bayley pointed to where Heathrow Airport's new boundary would likely sit once a third runway is built -- just yards from her home. "I'd need to put my ear defenders on every time I opened the front door," said the 74-year-old, her neat garden dotted with green signs that read "Stop Heathrow Expansion". Harmondsworth -- about an hour's train ride from central London -- has a quintessential English village feel, with its 12th-century church, grocery store, green and two pubs. But this 1,500-strong community and the neighbouring hamlet of Longford face an uncertain future after UK finance minister Rachel Reeves announced Wednesday that the government backs a new runway at Heathrow. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government hopes extending capacity at Europe's busiest airport will help spur much-needed economic growth for the country. Previous plans for extending the site have proposed bulldozing several hundred homes across the twin villages, which date back to the Anglo-Saxon period. "We're quite a close tight-knit community," said Bayley, chair of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group which campaigns against the proposed development. "A lot of people have been here 50 years plus. Their history, their memories are bound up with the houses they live in. "You can't reconstruct the community because we would be scattered everywhere," she told AFP, in front of yellow posters in her window that scream "No Third Runway". While Harmondsworth's streets are quaint and quiet, the same can't always be said for the skies above where planes can regularly be seen and heard descending towards or ascending from Heathrow. Out walking in the streets was 55-year-old Leon Jennion who has lived in Longford for three decades. When planes take off and land at Europe's biggest airport by passenger numbers his house shakes and conversations in the garden need to be paused until the aircraft have passed. - 'Better, not bigger' - "It's disruptive," said Jennion, who like many people in the area has a job related to the airport. "You hear plates rattling in your cupboards and various ornaments on shelves, and doors rattling with the vibrations." He says his home is almost certain to be demolished if the third runway goes ahead and added he would be "very sad" to leave Longford. But Jennion also hoped Reeves's announcement will finally lead to some certainty after proposals to expand Heathrow have been mooted for the best part of two decades. "I don't want to be having a threat around me anymore," said the father of a teenage child. "I just want to be able to go and, not restart my life, but just continue it somewhere decent." Outside The Five Bells pub, 18-year-old student Fletcher Rodger said he has "mixed feelings" about the plans for runway number three. "If it provides as much economic growth as the government says it's going to then unfortunately I have to say I don't mind too much. "There's always winners and there's always losers," he said. Just steps away, 63-year-old Hylton Garriock wore a red hoodie emblazoned with the words "Stop Heathrow Expansion" as he manned a stand for the eponymous campaign group. Beside him, draped over a wall, was a cloth mural boasting a giant closeup image of a plane to depict the view that the campaign group says residents will ultimately face. He stressed that more flights will worsen climate change. "Keep within the boundaries. Make a better Heathrow, not a bigger Heathrow," Garriock told AFP. Proposals to expand Heathrow have long been dogged by legal challenges, political opposition and fears over the effect it would have on the environment and noise pollution. Back at Bayley's house, parts of which date to 16th century, the activist was hopeful the plans will be stopped. "I don't want to move. I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else in my life," she said. "We haven't lost a campaign yet, and we're not intending to lose this one either." pdh/jkb/sbk
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Heathrow third runway: 'Most of the village would be demolished'
"Three-quarters of the village would be demolished. It wouldn't be a viable community. Pubs, the shops will go because there aren't enough customers. "The bus won't come up on the main road because there's a runway in the way. It's a lose, lose, lose all round." Justine Bayley lives in Harmondsworth, a village in Hillingdon in west London, which would be partially demolished to make way for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. She told BBC London the expansion plan isn't "realistic" when the mayor of London has pledged to reduce pollution and noise. "Sadiq Khan has been working very hard to improve both in London. We're actually part of London here and we'd like to see the improvements as well," she says. "By putting lots more planes in the air and lots more cars delivering people to the airport, they all produce noise, they produce pollution." Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed on Wednesday that the government supports a third runway at Heathrow Airport, saying it is "badly needed". While Justine, who is part of campaign group Stop Heathrow Expansion, is against a third runway, others in London are in favour. Some business groups say a third runway is vital to stimulate the economy and create new jobs. John Dickie from BusinessLDN said the expansion of the airport was about competitiveness and connectivity. He said: "Other cities in Europe and indeed globally are stealing a march on us. "They're improving that connectivity, they're improving the number of cities they can connect directly and that makes it a competitive advantage for them and a competitive disadvantage for us, but it's more than just that. "Anyone who's flown from Heathrow recently will know that the airport is absolutely full." Will a third runway at Heathrow help UK growth? What's the plan for a third runway at Heathrow Airport? Will a third runway at Heathrow help UK growth? Now the government has given the green light to a third runway, there are issues to consider around the cost, the environmental impact and the time it would take to build. It's likely there would be a complex planning process that follows. It's also likely that environmental campaigners would challenge the plans. Speaking to BBC Radio London as Reeves made the announcement Sir Sadiq Khan reiterated his previous opposition to the project, saying that noise, air pollution and climate change targets were his main concerns. He said: "We have in London made huge progress in cleaning up our air – still one of the most polluted parts of London with air pollution is around Heathrow. "Not withstanding my support for growth, I do not support a new runway in Heathrow." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
