Come Fly With Me

What a third runway might mean for W12

A decision is expected soon on the future of Heathrow, which could see the airport grow to include all-day flights, a sixth terminal and - crucially for Shepherd’s Bush - a third runway to the north of the existing two runways.

The lobby group ‘Stop Heathrow Expansion’ lists in detail how the different parts of London are likely to be affected by the proposed new elements. For Shepherd’s Bush it says: “Likely to hear planes on flight path to 3rd runway, aircraft landing all day long, one virtually every 90 seconds, when west wind is blowing (usually 70% of the year).”

John Stewart of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (HACAN) explained further: "The new runway will be to the north of the existing runways. That means that the new flight path will be to the north of the existing northern flight path which runs just south of King Street in Hammersmith. The new flight path is likely to be between Hammersmith town centre and Shepherd's Bush. There will be a plane using it every 90 seconds throughout the day. There is also likely to be a new take-off route over the Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush areas," he said.

Those who are against the proposals argue that Heathrow’s expansion is not necessary, that it will destroy people’s quality of life and that it will contribute to climate change.

“The sheer scale of the proposals means that few areas of London will be unaffected. There will be more planes landing, more planes taking off, and, if a third runway is built, whole neighbourhoods under the landing or take-off flight path for the first,” say Stop Heathrow Expansion. 

The expansion will see the number of flights at Heathrow grow from 480,000 to 700,000 a year and the third runway could be operational by 2020.

Earlier this year, the Evening Standard said it had identified 114 schools in west London which would suffer from serious noise levels if the proposed airport expansion is approved. The list included at least six schools in the W12 area: Greenside Primary School in Westville Road, Wormholt Park Primary School in Bryony Road, Pope John RC Primary School in Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra Primary School in Australia Road, Burlington Danes Academy in Wood Lane and Miles Coverdale Primary School in Coverdale Road.

Commenting on the noise issue, Nick Botterill, deputy leader of Hammersmith & Fulham council, said: "At the moment the problem is worse in the south of the borough (Fulham). The new flightpaths would see Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush seriously adversely affected."

Hammersmith and Fulham council belong to the 2M group - a collection of councils that oppose the proposal for a third runway. The maps (see below) produced by 2M give a graphic illustration of how the new flight paths could affect the area.

In a parliamentary debate last week, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said the expansion was necessary because “Heathrow’s runways are already full”.

But rebel Labour MPs as well as Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders expressed opposition to the project. “A third runway at Heathrow would mean that there would be 220,000 more flights there every year, which amounts to a 46 per cent. increase from current levels. It would be the equivalent of bolting on to Heathrow a new airport the size of Gatwick. An increase on that scale would clearly make it significantly harder to deliver the 80 percent cut in carbon emissions to which the Government signed up just a few short weeks ago,” said the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Theresa Villiers.

Also speaking in the debate Shepherd’s Bush MP Andy Slaughter said expansion “would cause misery and extraordinary inconvenience to thousands of people in west London.” He said while Shepherd’s Bush had not experienced issues of air quality and noise to any great extent in the past, it would “suffer from them significantly and continually if the third runway is built”.

In rare agreement with his Labour neighbour, the Conservative MP for Hammersmith & Fulham, Greg Hands expressed similar concerns: “Because of the reduced length of the third runway, it is likely that most of the bigger, noisier planes would come in over Fulham using the existing full-length runways. In Hammersmith, which is not currently directly under either flight path, the approach to the third runway would add hugely to noise there, with perhaps an aircraft every 90 seconds or so.”

The Mayor of London has also joined the debate, threatening to take legal action against the Government if the third runway goes ahead, on the grounds that the extra air traffic may breach European Union laws on pollution.

Defending the proposed airport expansion, the Head of British Airways, Willie Walsh, told the BBC recently that it was “critical” to have a third runway at Heathrow. "I think in tough times like this it really is a case of doing what is right for the long-term future of this country,” he said. The Confederation of British Industry also says the expansion would boost the economy and allow Britain to remain competitive.

HACAN say Gordon Brown and Geoff Hoon seem determined to press ahead with expansion.

Current and projected flight paths for aircraft arriving at Heathrow

Source: 2M Group

Current and projected flight paths for aircraft departing from Heathrow

Source: 2M Group

Yasmine Estaphanos