Heathrow's third runway consultation is open to 22 December, with drop-ins at Richmond Hill Hotel on 27 November and Twickenham Stadium on 1 December.
Heathrow’s public consultation on its third runway opened today, Tuesday 27 October. It runs until 23:59 on Tuesday 22 December 2026.
The airport will hold two drop-in events in the borough. One is at the Richmond Hill Hotel on Friday 27 November and the other is at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Tuesday 1 December. Printed copies of the plans go on display in four of the borough’s libraries.
This is the airport’s own consultation on the detailed scheme it intends to put to the Transport Secretary. It is separate from the government’s consultation on the national policy statement, which closed on 1 September. Heathrow says its report on what people tell it will form part of the application.
Where to see the plans in the borough
Heathrow lists these events on its consultation events page. They are drop-in sessions and you do not need to register:
| Event | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | Friday 27 November | 2pm to 7pm | Richmond Hill Hotel, TW10 6RW |
| Twickenham | Tuesday 1 December | 2pm to 7pm | Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, TW2 7BA (accessible venue, hearing loop) |
Heathrow says anyone can go to any of its events, wherever they live. The nearest others are Feltham Assembly Hall on Wednesday 18 November and Hounslow House on Friday 11 December.
Online webinars need registration. The ones most relevant here are:
- Noise: Thursday 19 November, 12pm to 1pm
- Consultation overview: Monday 9 November, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, repeated on Thursday 10 December, 12pm to 1pm
- Roads and surface access: Monday 16 November, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Heathrow’s statutory notice names four “information points” in the borough. Paper copies of the documents, plans and maps can be read free of charge at:
- Richmond Information and Reference Library, Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, TW9 1TP
- Castelnau Library, 75 Castelnau, Barnes, SW13 9RT
- Teddington Library, Waldegrave Road, TW11 8NY
- Whitton Library, 141 Nelson Road, TW2 7BB
Heathrow has written ten “In Your Area” booklets for the communities closest to the airport, such as Stanwell, Sipson and Bedfont. None of them covers anywhere in Richmond borough.
What the scheme includes
The statutory notice says the application will cover:
- a new runway of around 3,500 metres to the north west of the existing airport
- new terminal and apron space for the extra flights
- realigning the M25 and changing junctions 14 and 14a
- diverting the A4, the A3044 and the Southern Perimeter Road
- removing the current planning limits on the number of flights
- changes to runway alternation, to the “westerly preference” for take-offs and landings, and a ban on scheduled flights for part of the night
The notice lists Richmond among the eight council areas the project sits in.
The part most residents will want to know: flight paths are not in it
This consultation does not say which streets would be under the new approaches. Heathrow’s noise chapter assesses noise “across a wide range of indicative flightpaths”. The real routes will be designed separately by the UK Airspace Design Service.
The chapter says the design of those flight paths drives the number of people exposed to noise. Its own figures range from scenarios where fewer people are affected than in 2013 to ones where more are.
Night flights: what would change
Heathrow’s future runway operations paper sets out the night regime. Today, the first scheduled arrival is at 4.45am and late-running flights can use the runways until 1am, sometimes later.
Heathrow proposes:
- no flights scheduled between 11pm and 5.30am, a six and a half hour ban
- the first arrivals landing at about 5.15am, on one runway only until 6am
- no scheduled departures before 6am
- late-running flights allowed until midnight, not 1am, with no airport discretion after that
A ban on scheduled flights is not a closure. Aircraft could still fly in the ban period if they are running late within the recovery window or the government grants a dispensation.
Daytime respite
Residents under the approaches currently get relief for half the day, because the runways switch at 3pm. Heathrow puts two options for three runways out to consultation:
- switch runways at 3pm and overnight, which keeps today’s timing but means not every community gets a full day’s respite in the four-day cycle
- switch overnight only, which gives every community at least one full day of respite in four days, but no switch during the day
Heathrow says air traffic controllers at NATS warned that switching during the day adds complexity and delay.
The paper also proposes a “managed preference” instead of today’s automatic westerly preference. That would let Heathrow choose the direction of operations in light winds, which it says happens about 20% of the time.
Who would get noise insulation
The draft noise insulation policy proposes:
- full acoustic insulation, fully funded, for homes inside the 60dB daytime noise contour of the expanded airport
- up to £3,000 towards insulation for homes inside the 57dB daytime contour or the 55dB Lden contour, whichever is bigger
- insulation for schools and community buildings inside the 60dB contour
The policy says it “does not identify specific noise contours or the eligibility of individual properties”. So nobody in the borough can yet tell from these documents whether their home would qualify.
What the council says
Richmond Council opposes expansion. In a statement today it urged residents to respond. It pointed to the Prime Minister’s description of expansion as a “matter for London and Londoners”.
Council leader Councillor Gareth Roberts said: “Let’s show again what more flights, more noise, more road traffic, poorer air quality and higher carbon emissions would mean for our health, homes, families, communities and quality of life.”
He asked where the “plausible plan to protect people from increased and concentrated aircraft noise” was. The council says it will study the documents and publish guidance to help residents respond.
What it means for you
- You have until 23:59 on Tuesday 22 December. Respond online through Heathrow’s consultation page, or post the paper feedback form to FREEPOST EXPANSION CONSULTATION. No stamp is needed. You can also hand it in at an event.
- Go to a drop-in if you want to put questions to Heathrow’s team in person: Richmond Hill Hotel on 27 November or Allianz Stadium on 1 December, both 2pm to 7pm.
- The questions that decide most borough residents’ experience are runway alternation (3pm switch or overnight only) and the night regime. Those are the parts of the feedback form where Richmond views count most, because the flight paths themselves are not being consulted on here.
- Heathrow’s team can be reached on 0800 307 7996 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm) or at expansionconsultation@heathrow.com.
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