The Consultation has now closed.
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 and weeks.”
