Heathrow expansion – our position

The Government has announced its support for expanding Heathrow Airport.

Heathrow has already shared an outline of its plans and restarted the formal process needed to take them forward.

Our council remains firmly opposed to Heathrow expansion. At the same time, we continue to work with Heathrow through established groups so we can represent residents’ interests and challenge the airport where needed.

To support this, the council’s Aviation Forum has set three clear priorities: reducing night time noise, ensuring any development is genuinely sustainable, and improving transparency with local communities. 

These principles will guide how we respond to future consultations and discussions about the airport.

Our aim is simple: to protect residents from environmental and health impacts while making sure any potential benefits are fully realised. 

This approach supports our wider commitment to creating a cleaner, greener, safer and more prosperous borough.

A good night’s sleep - controlling noise pollution

Our priorities

  • A fair and predictable night’s sleep with no scheduled flights between 10.30pm and 6.30am in line with WHO sleep guidance.
  • Reasonable and predictable flight path and runway alternation programme offering predictable respite and leveraging new precision navigation capabilities to increase the number of noise free days / hours residents experience.
  • No expansion of airport flight or passenger numbers without corresponding reductions in night flights.
  • Comprehensive mitigation packages, ensuring residents receive proper support to control noise which factors in warm weather when windows may need to be open.

Sustainable development – a greener, cleaner airport

Our priorities:

Sustainable economic development, to encourage the setting up of airport-funded groups tasked to deliver economic and environmental promises:

Offset funds:

  • To increase the share spent within the neighbouring boroughs to Heathrow.
  • Create a locally controlled and focused offset investment fund.

Transport:

  • To work towards greening of the route to/from Heathrow for passenger and employees. e.g. rail, public transport etc.
  • To secure maximum benefits of transport improvements to our and other neighbouring communities to the airport.

Greening of aviation:

  • To encourage a more effective greening of air travel.
  • Work towards more generation of onsite electricity.
  • To encourage the early adoption of global best practice/concepts.

A fair deal for residents – an independent ombudsman

To encourage and support the creation of a truly independent and effective Ombudsman that will transparently, directly and meaningfully penalise parties that transgress the rules and enforce delivery of Heathrow and Government promises regarding:

  • Noise and emissions
    • on noise, airflight routes/corridors, altitudes, timings etc.
    • Create clear specific and timely airline action plans to improve performance.
  • Economic benefits
    • to monitor and ensure the delivery of the Heathrow economic benefits “promise”.