Residents in West London have considered moving house if the latest runway alternation proposals announced by Heathrow Airport increase noise pollution levels in their village.
The Easterly Alternation plan would enable easterly departures from the airport’s northern runway, which Heathrow say would distribute noise pollution more equally across local communities.
While areas like Old Windsor and Cranford could experience respite from aircraft noise through the plan, places like Stanwell Moor and Longford could allegedly experience more.
The Heathrow website states: “Some communities will experience new noise overhead, as they were not previously overflown when Heathrow is on easterly operations.
“Communities who are currently overflown when on easterly operations will experience a decrease in number of flights overhead each day, as the redistribution of existing flight paths will be further spread out over more communities.”
The plan includes the construction of a noise barrier at Longford, just north of the airport, to mitigate noise impact for the area.
Heathrow arranged community engagement events to support the project throughout this month, including in Stanwell Moor, a village to the south-west of the airport.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Case Officer and single mum of 2, Sonia Kaur Panesar, 42, said she would consider moving from the village if the noise gets worse.
She said: “I won’t be able to afford any more than what I’ve bought here, which means potentially uprooting to a completely different area maybe hours away.”
Head of IT Support Varinder Mann, 46 was also concerned about the plan’s impact on the village.
He said: “We’re going to be directly impacted the most, we get the most noise as it is.
“The roof is rattling, the windows are vibrating.
“The standard of living is getting worse and worse by the day, and if more of this is going to happen, it’s only going to get any worse.”
Other residents said that noise insulation schemes provided by Heathrow in the past were a failure, and were therefore sceptical about any schemes that could come with the Easterly Alternation plan.
Business Manager Simon Crossley, 59, said there is a lack of clarity in the Easterly Alternation plan about its impact on Stanwell Moor.
He said: “The Heathrow Easterly Alternation proposal is like a dark cloud on the horizon for our village – it is ominous and hard to fathom.
“The current level of noise pollution is high and one that we want to see decrease not increase.”
Moureen Golden-Bateman, the 64-year-old treasurer for the village’s Residents’ Association, was more indifferent about the plan.
She said: “We will get some more noise, but if you don’t want noise, don’t live near an airport.”
The proposed easterly alternation pattern mimics the current westerly operations system, meaning one runway would be used for landings and the other for take-offs, which would then be switched over at 3pm each day.
At the end of each week, this would be reversed, meaning local communities would get respite from overhead aircraft in the morning one week, and in the evening the next.
However, delays, bad weather and emergency repairs could mean the schedule isn’t always adhered to.
Aircraft currently only depart to the east from the northern runway in exceptional circumstances.
Heathrow made a planning application to the London Borough of Hillingdon in 2013 for the same project, which was granted permission by the Secretary of State in 2017.
However, proposals for a third runway meant Heathrow did not go ahead with the works.
This previous application has now expired.
The current plan will require planning permission from the borough again, alongside compliance with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) airspace regulatory procedures.
The borough will then complete a public consultation on the planning application.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Following the government’s decision to end the Cranford agreement, we have proposals to introduce easterly alternation at Heathrow.
“This will provide scheduled, equitable distribution of noise respite to more communities, as we see today when we are on westerlies.
“We have begun pre-application engagement and will continue to speak to our neighbours and stakeholders as this project progresses.
“As part of the planning application we will be making to London Borough of Hillingdon later this year, we will be offering a noise mitigation scheme specifically designed with easterly alternation in mind.
“More information about the scheme will be in the planning application, and we will soon reach out to our nearest neighbours with more details of how to apply.”
Image credit: Sonu Kunda
