Welcome to the
Heathrow Expansion Watch website
Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement
On 18 June the Government published its draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), the policy framework that guides any future decisions for expansion at Heathrow Airport. It replaces the predecessor document, the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS).
We welcome its publication and the transparency it brings and, most importantly, the much-needed community and stakeholder engagement that can now take place. It is important to recognise that the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement does not grant development consent and does not approve any specific scheme.
It is encouraging to see that the draft HENPS contains a strong commitment to community engagement and endorsement of a new Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board (HEICEB), established through the Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport (CISHA), with a remit to ensure that communities have a voice in any expansion of Heathrow Airport.
The draft HENPS sets out:
The Government’s policy on the need for increased capacity at Heathrow Airport;
Why the Government has selected the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme for the purposes of the Airports NPS review;
The specific requirements that a scheme must demonstrate and meet in order to make an application for development consent.
It is accompanied by an Appraisal of Sustainability, Habitats Regulation Assessment, Equality Impact Assessment and Health Impact Analysis, among other supporting documents.
The Government has now opened a public consultation on the draft HENPS. The consultation will remain open until 1 September 2026. It asks 12 questions that relate to issues such as the assessment of the need for proposed expansion, mitigation measures for environmental impacts, the fairness of the compensation for affected residents and for further comments on the draft HENPS. This public consultation is an important opportunity to shape the policy framework and for local communities to express their views and concerns.
Details for how to respond, and what happens next can be found at HENPS consultation
An important part of the scrutiny of the HENPS is an inquiry led by the Parliamentary Transport Committee. The Committee has now launched its inquiry into the HENPS. The first stage of the process is for the committee to request written submissions from stakeholders and experts to a range of questions it has set out. The deadline for submissions is 23 July 2026. Although separate to the Government’s consultation respondents are welcome to draw upon or reflect consultation responses in any submission to the Committee. Further details on the Committee’s inquiry, terms of reference and how to respond can be found at Transport Committee Scrutiny of the draft HENPS
Commenting on the Government’s consultation, Tracey Waltho, Independent Chair of CISHA and of HEICEB said:
“I know from many direct conversations and meetings with local communities and stakeholders just how unsettling the current uncertainty is. The publication of the draft HENPS does not reduce that, but it will provide an opportunity for residents and communities to respond to the consultation: to express their views on whether a third runway is needed and shape the conditions that any detailed expansion proposal would have to meet.
CISHA understands that residents and local communities will have many questions. Through the Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board, we will continue to support local communities to best understand the consultation and respond. We will add more information on the Board’s plans to the Heathrow Expansion Watch website in the coming days.”
Heathrow West Consultation
We are aware that Heathrow West has published further details of their plans for the expansion of Heathrow Airport, along with their own consultation process. You can find that by clicking on this link.
We appreciate that unexpected announcements like this may cause concern and uncertainty within local communities. We will be reviewing the information that has just been published and will update the Heathrow Expansion Watch site more fully next week.
CISHA, through its dedicated Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board*, is committed to working with both of the scheme promoters (Heathrow Airport Ltd and Heathrow West), together with the Department for Transport, to seek greater clarity on the multi-promoter situation, and to ensure there is an opportunity for community members to raise questions and concerns at each stage. We will facilitate that with independent advice and support.
12th June 2026
*Note: The Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board (HEICEB) has a remit to ensure that communities have a voice in any expansion of Heathrow Airport. These additional responsibilities, over and above CISHA’s work as an Airport Consultative Committee, regarding community engagement in the event of the airport’s expansion were detailed in the 2018 Airports National Policy Statement.
Capacity expansion - Information relating to the CAA’s work on “Heathrow capacity expansion”
Statement from the CAA as they release “Proposals on the regulatory treatment of early costs of capacity expansion at Heathrow airport”.
“The CAA is working closely with the Department for Transport and the industry on the expansion of capacity at Heathrow airport. We need to ensure that we develop regulatory arrangements that deal with the associated challenges, and support capacity expansion in a timely, efficient, and effective way, which furthers the interests of consumers.”
Click here to access the CAA page, which contains further resources.
The potential expansion of Heathrow Airport and the steps required to get there raise many questions.
This website has been created to answer as many of those questions as possible and to provide a useful resource for communities and stakeholders who want to stay informed and make their voices heard.
This platform helps to:
Share updates on key developments and known timelines related to expansion.
Explain the processes, consultations, and decision-making stages involved.
Highlight opportunities for public input—making it easier for residents and interested parties to have their say at key decision points.
Support community understanding of how the expansion might impact areas like the environment, airspace, noise, and quality of life.
Whether you are a local resident, community group, business, or other interested party, Heathrow Expansion Watch is your go-to source to stay in the know and take part in shaping the future of Heathrow in an informed and meaningful way.
We will continually update and refresh the content so you can rely upon it as a comprehensive resource.
Please watch the welcome video, and if you would like to receive updates on expansion and matters relating directly to the airport via email, fill in the form below. Your details are held by the Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport and not shared with anyone else.
Our response to the latest statement by the Secretary of State for Transport.
Today’s announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport declaring the Government’s support for Heathrow Airport Limited’s proposal for a third runway brings much greater clarity on the geographic impact of the airport's expansion. We now know that should expansion be granted planning approval it will include a full-length runway, which will see the M25 being realigned, bridged over, along with the impact on communities such as Longford and Harmondsworth.
You can read our full response by clicking here which includes a helpful timeline of key stages.
This week Arora released their latest response to the Department of Transport.
Arora’s 207 page proposal for ‘Heathrow West’. Click here to read.
“A Better Heathrow: The Arora Group's Vision for Expansion”. Website click to view.
CISHA response to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport on ANPS review timing - 22nd October 2025
Today’s announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport provides much-needed clarity on the timescale for the government’s early decisions about any expansion of Heathrow Airport. It is a welcome and crucial step in reducing uncertainty, providing communities and stakeholders with visibility on the important revision of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS). The ANPS matters because it sets out the government’s stance on Heathrow Expansion: whether there should be expansion, and the standards that the developer must meet in designing, getting planning consents, and operating an expanded airport. It is consulted upon and then has to be approved by Parliament to stand.
You can read the full CISHA response here. The response contains links to both government announcements today on ANPS timing and the next steps for the two scheme promoter candidates.
CAA consultation - CAP3149: Heathrow Capacity Expansion
The CAA has consulted interested parties on the regulatory policy on the recovery of early expansion costs incurred by potential developers before the Government decides on whether to grant a Development Consent Order for capacity expansion at Heathrow airport.
“My focus, and that of CISHA, is to ensure that both our day-to-day work continues across all of the areas the airport has an impact on, and also to deliver additional support and expertise to ensure communities and stakeholders are able to respond to the substance of the expansion plans in the months and years ahead.”
Tracey Waltho, Chair of the Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport