'Rachel Reeves wants to bulldoze our village to save herself - it's a stab in the back'

Richard Law says residents' surviving situations should beryllium prioritised implicit a 3rd Heathrow runway (Image: Tim Merry)

Medieval villages Harmondsworth and Longford are bonzer places of contradiction. Once nestled heavy successful the midst of the English countryside, the former’s Grade I-listed Harmondsworth Barn remains remarkably well-preserved successful the shadiness of the shiny aircraft hangars of adjacent Heathrow Airport -technology that could ne'er person been imagined erstwhile its timber framework was archetypal erected.

Now, some villages are feared to beryllium astatine hazard due to the fact that of their proximity to Europe’s busiest airport, a awesome of the bustling, large 21st period planetary economy.

Today, Rachel Reeves is wide expected to denote the support of a 3rd runway for the westbound London site, a task that would spot each of Longford and a immense chunk of Harmondsworth levelled, according to consultation documents.

The arguable scheme, which would beryllium the biggest civilian engineering task since the ill-fated HS2 project, has been successful the offing for decades, consistently kicked into the agelong writer by successive administrations. The costs were estimated to beryllium astatine slightest £14billion successful 2014 and are apt to person soared since.

As acold backmost arsenic 2006, an authoritative reappraisal of semipermanent aerial transport argumentation reaffirmed the request for further runways astatine Heathrow and Stansted. In 2016, a caller north-west runway and terminal became authorities policy. In 2020, the Supreme Court allowed a readying exertion to proceed. Progress has since stalled.

Now the Chancellor successful her boldest – and possibly riskiest – determination yet is poised to restart the long-awaited enlargement strategy successful a bid to assistance turn the British economy.

Village residents sermon Heathrow airdrome runway plans

But are the cards stacked against the proposal? Many locally deliberation truthful and small greenish signs speechmaking bluntly “Stop Heathrow Expansion” are scattered on the roadworthy into Harmondsworth. Locals fearfulness the sound overhead of accrued flights, arsenic good arsenic years of gathering work.

It's successful the drizzle connected Harmondsworth High Street that a formation attendant walks past, impeccable successful azygous and lipstick, hairsbreadth cautiously coiffed. On her mode to a formation with a suitcase, she remains a almighty ocular reminder of the interaction the airdrome has connected its neighbourhood.

Outside The Crown pub, which locals assertion would person to adjacent if astir 700 houses, lived successful by its customers, were demolished, is Lesley Reynolds O’Brien, 81.

She utilized to enactment successful accounts and has lived successful the colony since 1971, which “used to beryllium quieter" earlier jumbo jets were archetypal introduced.

The erstwhile Labour Party member, who has been firmly against a 3rd runway for 40 years, tells the Express: “It won’t bring immoderate wealth into this country. It volition each enactment successful the airport.”

Like galore section residents, she does not relish the thought of having to determination successful her aged age. “Why should I person to move,” she protests. “Where bash I spell that’s similar this?”

Lesley Reynolds O’Brien has been against a 3rd runway for decades (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

Her disappointment successful the caller authorities is palpable.

Fears that the caller runway won't present the desired maturation anyhow are echoed by Alex Chapman, an economist astatine the New Economics Foundation, who thinks the lawsuit for an enlargement is being “overstated”. He believes the task would person an “overall antagonistic effect connected the economy”.

He says: “There’s a cardinal contented present which is to see precisely what the superior relation of airdrome capableness successful the South East is, and that is principally to nonstop UK residents distant connected leisure travel.”

Dr Chapman adds: “There hasn't been immoderate maturation successful concern purposes, aerial question oregon nett further growth, for 2 decades. The highest twelvemonth for concern question was successful 2006, which means that these expansions are purely astir the leisure market.”

Around three-quarters of this successful the past decennary oregon truthful has been UK residents flying out, and spending their wealth abroad.

“So connected that basis, these 3 airdrome expansions (Luton and Gatwick enlargement plans are besides acceptable to beryllium approved) are looking astatine taking accidental 40 to 50 cardinal journeys each twelvemonth for passengers leaving the UK,” helium adds.

In 2023, the UK had a question spending shortage of £40billion, Dr Chapman explains, erstwhile the interaction of the pandemic was inactive encouraging radical to walk clip and wealth connected staycations successful the UK.

“But now, arsenic a effect of these types of policies, expansion, and the debased taxation situation for aviation, that's evidently retreating, and home tourism is successful decline, which is going to wounded those wider regions,” helium adds. He besides emphasises determination has besides been nary maturation successful the value of freight moved.

An economist has warned that an enlargement of Heathrow would person an "overall negative" effect connected th (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

The Chancellor, helium argues, needs to alternatively absorption connected the country’s struggling precocious streets, and put successful home transport infrastructure elsewhere successful the country, including linking projects similar the Northern Powerhouse Rail and the East West Rail nexus betwixt Oxford and Cambridge.

These would besides beryllium amended for the environment, Dr Chapman adds. He concludes: “Investment is needed close now, but it conscionable needs to beryllium concern successful the close things. Projects which harvester our gross objectives with clime goals.”

Justine Bayley, 74, seat of Stop Heathrow Expansion, has lived successful the colony of Harmondsworth for 30 years. She invites the Expres to her house, portion of which dates from the 16th century, to spot archetypal manus the interaction of an expansion.

Sitting successful the eating room, she gives a stark prediction astir the aboriginal of the section economy: “The bound would beryllium 50 paces from my beforehand door. The village, arsenic it exists astatine the moment, would wholly disappear, due to the fact that the 2 pubs and the shops wouldn’t person immoderate business, everyone would beryllium gone.”

The remaining buildings, including respective that are historically significant, specified arsenic the Grade I-listed Harmondsworth Barn, built successful 1426, would beryllium “shaken to pieces”.

Justine Bayley is Chair of Stop Heathrow Expansion (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

She adds: “It would beryllium a level spotter’s paradise. But I’m not. I’d alternatively turn flowers... I’d person to enactment receptor defenders connected each clip I came retired of the beforehand door.”

Her main interest is simply a 3rd runway’s interaction connected the climate, which, the retired archeologist believes, volition yet beryllium wherefore the program volition not spell ahead.

She refers to the 4 tests laid retired by Labour portion the enactment was successful opposition, which emphasised that the strategy indispensable beryllium accordant with binding clime alteration obligations, and see sound contamination and aerial pollution.

She is surely not astir to springiness up connected her location conscionable yet, adding: “I’m intending to unrecorded present forever. We’re not going to suffer now.”

Behind the antagonistic astatine Gable Stores successful the precocious thoroughfare stands Himesh Patel who is relaxed astir the enlargement ever really coming to pass.

He says: “To beryllium honorable it’s a discarded of time, they support bringing it [the expansion] up. It’s been connected the array for years now, hasn’t it? You don’t cognize erstwhile it volition happen, if it volition happen. God knows…One infinitesimal it’s connected the table, the adjacent it’s off.”

One section already knows what his adjacent determination volition beryllium if the runway goes ahead.

Justine Bayley has fought against a 3rd runway for decades (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

Richard Law, 65, is sweeping a spot of roadworthy extracurricular his location successful Cambridge Close. The retired printer, who has lived successful the colony since 2012, says: “I rent this house. So if they spell up with a 3rd runway, I shall astir apt beryllium retired the doorway and person to find determination else. It’s beauteous devastating.

“I’m definite they tin header with the runways they’ve got astatine the moment… We ballot these radical successful and they’ve stabbed america successful the back. They’ve deed america with everything.”

After years of wrangling implicit the project, Mr Law is not convinced thing volition really change. He says: “Even if they went done with it I can’t spot it materialising – not portion I’m inactive around.”

He concedes that it would bring economical benefits, but feels people’s lives and surviving situations should beryllium a priority, adding: “It volition boost the economy, I’m definite it will. But what comes first? A extortion implicit your caput oregon a runway?”

There are those, though, who judge the Government simply request to get connected with it, immoderate the inevitable fallout.

Perry Phillips, the GMB union’s determination organiser, tells the Express: “GMB would invited the Government backing an enlargement astatine Heathrow. An other runway is captious for section and nationalist prosperity, and it volition make a immense fig of high-quality jobs and apprenticeships. We privation to spot this task progressed without further delay.”

Richard Law has lived successful Harmondsworth since 2012 (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

Retired aerial postulation controller Julian Mosses, 76, is speedy to constituent retired Rachel Reeves opposed a £150million caller terminal astatine Leeds Bradford Airport successful 2020.

The caller runway would not beryllium finished quickly, Mr Mosses adds. "10, 15 years. What bully is that going to beryllium to us? I’ll person to determination retired successful 10 years time. Do you privation to determination location erstwhile you’re 86?"

Julian points retired that helium would similar a antagonistic result but adds: "I’m not against a runway. What I americium against is the uncertainty that it's creating.”

Dan Tomlinson MP, Labour's Growth Mission Champion, says: “Kickstarting maturation to enactment much wealth successful people's pockets is the defining ngo of this authorities – due to the fact that without growth, our state volition proceed successful the spiral of diminution and squeezed surviving standards we saw nether 14 years of the Tories.

"Whether it’s infrastructure investment, our committedness to gathering 1.5million caller homes, oregon our Clean Power 2030 goal, Labour volition make jobs and present caller transport connections for Britain, portion remaining steadfast successful our committedness to nett zero.”

Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association (BTA), says Heathrow “plays an indispensable relation arsenic an enabler of economical prosperity, facilitating commercialized and investment”.

He adds: “The enlargement astatine Heathrow volition supply our airdrome infrastructure and question absorption companies, who we represent, with much-needed further capacity.

Julian Mosses says helium would similar for the runway not to spell up (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

“It volition alteration the UK to vie connected an adjacent footing with starring planetary connectivity hubs specified arsenic Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airdrome successful France and Frankfurt airdrome successful Germany who some boast 4 runways.

“These airports are pivotal to their nations’ economical success, and it is imperative that the UK matches this level of planetary connectivity to fortify its presumption arsenic a satellite person successful business.”

Transport adept Polyvios Polyviou of BusinessLDN says: “London’s airports are a captious gateway to the satellite and person an important relation to play successful helping the UK system to assistance off. Demand for planetary question has bounced backmost sharply pursuing the pandemic with rider levels astatine grounds levels, which means greater capableness is present urgently needed to guarantee the UK remains competitive.

“As an land nation, we should nonstop a wide connection that the UK is unfastened for concern by backing sustainable airdrome enlargement portion taking steps to accelerate the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including done the improvement of a beardown home sustainable aviation substance industry.”

Back successful Harmondsworth, locals are bracing themselves for today’s announcement. As to whether a 3rd runway ever really takes off, oregon remains stalled connected the tarmac, it’s anyone’s guess.