Heathrow airport expansion will smash our community, say nearby villagers

Campaigners successful a colony which could beryllium partially demolished to marque mode for a 3rd runway astatine Heathrow airdrome person said the plans could “smash our community”.

Justine Bayley, who lives successful Harmondsworth and is chairwoman of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group, said the strategy risked wiping astir of the village.

She told the PA quality agency: “It’s inevitable that demolishing hundreds of homes volition smash up a community.

“We person 2 pubs and 2 shops that would go unviable due to the fact that of a deficiency of customers.

“There’s a autobus way that would person to vanish due to the fact that there’s a runway successful the way.

“You’d extremity up with radical being near down … (but) the assemblage would beryllium gone.”

Ms Bayley, who has lived successful the colony for 30 years, said her location would not beryllium demolished but would beryllium astir “50 paces” from the bound of the caller runway.

She added: “There is immoderate disbelief that it volition really spell ahead.

“It’s not the archetypal clip we’ve been present and this is the past successful a bid of proposals.

“There are galore antithetic views successful the colony and some, peculiarly those who can’t merchantability their houses astatine the moment, are conscionable wanting clarity.

“Some radical deliberation immoderate determination is amended than nary decision.”

The airdrome wants to physique a 3rd runway to rise capableness and boost resilience.

In a code connected Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves highlighted the strategy among a throng of large projects she said the Government would support.

Ms Reeves aboriginal said she wanted to spot the enlargement completed by 2035 and added the full Cabinet is “united” down the plan.

Richard Young, vicar astatine the St Mary the Virgin religion successful Harmondsworth, said the plans “cut precise deeply” for residents surviving successful what helium described arsenic a “tight-knit community”.

He added: “If it went ahead, it would person a devastating effect connected the place. The immense bulk of it would disappear.

“The religion would enactment but the assemblage astir it would go.

“(The plans) person been talked astir for decades and has been a blight hanging implicit everyone’s heads.

“People can’t determination due to the fact that nary 1 wants to bargain their homes.

“People emotion surviving here. It’s their home.

“There’s anxiety, fearfulness and anger.

“But there’s besides hostility due to the fact that immoderate radical clasp antithetic views.”