Taking responsibility for our local residents
At the heart of all our work with local communities is our commitment to engaging openly and constructively to understand concerns and to provide accessible information and an ongoing dialogue. There will be opportunities for local communities to engage with our plans through our community forums and participate in a public consultation. This will ensure that expanding Heathrow translates into investment in the local supply chain, increased education and employment opportunities, improved transport links and the overall sustainable growth of the local area.
We know that living next to an airport can impact our neighbours and we are committed to addressing these concerns. Our proposal ensures communities have clear opportunities to engage with us.
Find out about the work we are doing with our local communities to create job and training opportunities at the airport, improve the local environment, and provide funding for community initiatives.
And find out how we listen to and talk with local representatives about the issues that matter most through our community forums.
We are committed to working closely with the Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport (CISHA) and our engagement forums, like our Local Community Forum (LCF) to clarify our programme of stakeholder engagement with our local communities and authorities around the airport. This will be set out to meet the Government’s ambition on timing and ensure communities have clear visibility of opportunities to engage with us on our plans. The consultation process will be designed with the community at its heart, enabling them to understand the impacts and benefits of our plan. We anticipate the consultation process will be held at the end of 2026
The role of CISHA will be central in providing confidence to both communities and government that engagement and consultation remains credible, inclusive and fit for purpose throughout the planning and delivery phases.
Find out more about our forums and how you can stay involved Find out more about our forums and how you can stay involved
Residents can also be kept up to date on our community activities that align with our Giving Back Programme and expansion news via the webpage and quarterly Community Bulletin. See previous copies of our bulletins here.
If you would like to sign up to receive the bulletin, please email communityengagement@heathrow.com
Over the last decade, Heathrow has seen significant improvements in air quality and all pollutant levels are below the regulated levels set by the Government.
By 2030, we are targeting an 18% reduction in ground-level aircraft nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions compared with 2019 and a 60% reduction in non-aircraft emissions of air pollutants from airside operations.
Expansion must be delivered in full compliance with legal air quality limitslimits, and we completely agree with that requirement. We must demonstrate through our application for development consent that expanding Heathrow will not cause or contribute to any breach of legal limits, including national objectives set under the UK Air Quality Strategy and the Environment Act. We will continue to invest in clean technology and sustainable transport to reduce road traffic and ensure that expansion does not compromise air quality or worsen local pollution; and we will submit a detailed air quality assessment which will be independently reviewed. As a responsible business working alongside our local communities and committed to being a good neighbour, local air quality is a critical issue for us.
The ANPS requires us to show that expansion will not undermine the ability of the Government to meet its carbon reduction targets - which focus on delivering net zero by 2050 at the latest, in line with our own commitment. We will meet that requirement, as economic growth cannot come at the expense of the environment.
Expansion can only go ahead if it meets strict rules on noise. Expanding Heathrow will be delivered alongside limiting and, where possible, reducing Heathrow’s noise footprint, achieved through a combination of quieter aircraft, improved flight management and operational flexibility enabled by the third runway.
A new package of insulation and compensation measures will also support affected homes, schools and community facilities, building on the current programme which you can read more about Residential Insulation Scheme here.
We will continue to work with local groups to manage our noise impact, focusing on tackling the negative effects of noise.
Redesigning flight paths and taking advantage of the operational flexibility, a new runway will bring predictable respite for local residents.
It is too early for us to share more specific details of how an expanded Heathrow might work, including the number of operations within the night period (23:00 - 07:00). As part of our expansion plans, we will meet all the ANPS requirements including delivering clear and predictable periods of respite through runway alternation and night flight restrictions.
The new runway allows all three runways to alternate between arrivals, departures and mixed mode while retaining full capacity. This flexibility is central to providing predictable periods of respite for communities affected by aircraft noise. This respite could only be delivered by a runway that allows for full operations.
Expanding Heathrow will mean significant improvements to the public transport network around the airport. Our Surface Access Strategy, which will deliver a sustainable and affordable transport network, will reduce air pollution and traffic and make it easier for passengers and colleagues to travel to work and for members of our local community to travel around.
We will expand the Public Transport Interchange within the Central Terminal Area to improve access to public transport across the airport, ensuring that an increased number of passengers is matched by high-capacity, low-carbon travel options. The interchange will support new types of vehicles and routes and accommodate a wider range of public transport options so we can encourage passengers and colleagues to travel to the airport in a sustainable way.
We will also build a new Southern Road Tunnel, linking the Southern Perimeter Road to the Central Terminal Area. This will provide an additional point of access to the Central Terminal Area, significantly improving resilience and enabling dedicated bus and coach services. Bus priority lanes in the new Southern Road Tunnel will unlock previously unviable services, particularly for communities south of the airport. These improvements will significantly increase speed, frequency and reliability for travel to Heathrow by bus.
A full assessment of the likely construction impacts of a new runway will be undertaken as our proposals are developed, we will continue to engage with communities and stakeholders to refine proposals and reduce impact on communities.
As set out in the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), Heathrow is required to assess the impacts of construction on network capacity and show that all reasonable steps to mitigate these impacts have been taken. Mitigation measures for the construction stage will draw on best practice, and will include the development of a construction traffic management plan, the management of workforce movements, the selection of appropriate construction fleet, and freight consolidation, amongst other items. Heathrow will work proactively with our construction partners to ensure efficient delivery that minimises impacts; appropriate Construction Management Plans will be developed that set out how contractors will communicate with local communities throughout the construction phase.
