‘Our village will be ruined by noise or destroyed by a runway’: The impossible future for Heathrow locals

IIt’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon and Raj Kimyani, Christian Hughes and Trevor Gordon are enjoying a pint outside The White Horse in Longford.

The thatched-roof pub is the last remaining pub in the village and is very busy as people who manage to get off work early drop in for a quick pint on their way home.

This peaceful scene could be playing out in any village in Britain. However, the peace is suddenly disrupted by a loud noise coming from above.

This is the unmistakable sound of jet engines as a plane takes off from Heathrow airport and hovers over the village.

The three men don’t care much about this and continue talking. For them this is normal.

Longford directly borders Heathrow’s terminal five and some of its houses are just hundreds of meters west of the northern runway.

The history of this charming village, which lies along Bath Road and is also home to offices and hotels serving Heathrow, dates back to the Middle Ages. Opened in 1946, the airport is still a part of life for those living in Longford.

But it may not last very long. If long-discussed and controversial plans for a third runway go ahead, their villages will be destroyed in the sprawling infrastructure project that will also see the M25 moved.

Plans for a third runway were first proposed in 2009 and have run into many obstacles since then. But they seem to be making progress.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves last January expressed support for expanding Heathrow as part of the Labor government’s quest for economic growth, but a final decision on the third runway is not expected for many years, with a final decision on the third runway due later this year.

Posters rejecting a third runway and rejecting the possibility of Longford being flattened are scattered throughout the village.

Mr Kimyani, Mr Hughes and Mr Gordon tell Independent The uncertainty facing Longford is shaking them up and locals are feeling trapped.

While many want the plans to be canceled so that the village they call home remains, others say they cannot do so yet.

If the plans go ahead, their home will likely be subject to compulsory purchase orders with Heathrow purchasing it. But Mr Hughes says by then residents “will not be able to sell at a reasonable price” if they want to leave.

Mr Hughes, 54, who has lived in Longford since 1975 and is now president of the residents’ association, said: Independent: “This issue has been on the village’s agenda since 2008, when they first started talking about it.

“The problem is, because of the uncertainty, you can’t get a mortgage, you can’t sell at a reasonable price, you can’t move up, and you’re kind of stuck.

“There’s a community of people who are stuck. Even with compulsory purchasing, they won’t get what they deserve.”

Heathrow’s Becky Coffin tells Independent He said he appreciated that uncertainty around the expansion was “very challenging” for Longford residents, but the airport was advancing its property compensation plan to offer residents certainty “as soon as possible”.

Besides the threat of expansion, Longford residents have a more pressing concern.

The government’s ‘Cranford deal’ stopped eastbound planes taking off from the northern runway to reduce noise and pollution in villages in the airport’s shadow, but was canceled in 2009.

Departures are generally headwind, and the prevailing wind from the south-west means around 70 per cent of Heathrow’s operations are westerly.

Currently, only the south runway, which is part of the Cranford agreement, is used when planes take off eastbound.

But last December Hillingdon council approved an application to enable a runway change for eastern operations.

Heathrow is currently working on an airspace change proposal with the Civil Aviation Authority and will hold a public consultation as part of this.

According to Mr Hughes, when planes take off in a westerly direction this means they begin takeoff about 750 meters from the village property closest to the northern runway.

He claims that for eastbound takeoffs this distance drops to 250 meters, which increases noise levels to levels unpleasant for local residents as the engines fire up in preparation for takeoff.

“When they take off from that end, they accelerate from the back, you can feel everything, you can feel the vibration before you even hear it,” Mr Hughes says.

“You can feel your house shaking,” he adds.

Mr Hughes is concerned about the regularity of future eastbound departures and the impact they could have on Longford. He claims the change in plans could mean 160 eastbound departures a day instead of 200 a year.

It takes the fight to Heathrow, both due to eastward departures and the threat of expansion; He says about 60 members of the neighborhood residents’ association were behind the fights.

So Longford residents worry not only about whether their village will be destroyed within a few years, but also about whether it will be habitable by that point.

Mr Kimyani, 49, is “exhausting” about the situation.

He moved to the village in 2004 and, as he frequently works in Switzerland, its proximity to the airport was a key part of the appeal.

But he believes Longford has since lost its appeal. Only one bar remains; The last bar to close was the Kings Arms, which closed after 250 years in 2024.

The remaining residents of the village complain about the gradual decline of the village.

Mr Kimyani says his move to Longford was because of “the people and the character; it’s the kind of place you wouldn’t think Heathrow had, which is really undisclosed”.

“That’s the beauty of this place. It’s a beautiful piece of history, beautiful buildings.

“We look at it now and I’m surprised it’s lost its appeal.”

He attributes this to the threats hanging over him. “You’re bored,” he adds. “That’s the problem.”

Mr. Gordon, 75, just wants clarity. “I’m trying to get used to this [the noise]” he says. “I wish they would stop kicking the can [and] make a decision.”

Becky Coffin, Heathrow director of communities and residential properties, said: Independent: “We understand that Longford residents have concerns about change to the east and we take these very seriously.

“Resident feedback has shaped our approach, including our plans for a noise barrier to help reduce local impact in Longford.

“The introduction of the eastbound shift will provide more predictable rest periods and a more equitable distribution of noise for the communities surrounding Heathrow.

“We recognize that this is very challenging for those living closest to Heathrow, especially given the current uncertainty around expansion.

“Whilst timelines are subject to government and regulatory approval, we are developing our property compensation plans to offer certainty to affected residents as quickly as possible.

“We are committed to maintaining open engagement and dialogue with local residents and ensuring appropriate compensation and support is available.”