(Photo by Quintin Gellar via Pexels)
By Isobel Williams
People living in the shadow of Heathrow Airport have hit out at a £3,000 ($4,050) third runway compensation offer — claiming their "bad neighbor" is already responsible for a raft of problems in their village.
Residents of Stanwell Moor, England which borders the airport's southwest corner, are fed up and fear problems are about to get worse.
A third runway has been proposed for Heathrow which would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers and rerouting the M25 motorway.
According to current plans, the runway will be built to the northwest of the airport.
An offer of £3,000 has been made to some locals to compensate for the increase in noise, including in Stanwell Moor.
However, residents close to Gatwick Airport, which is set to build a second runway, were offered £6,500 ($8,775).
Resident and Reform councillor Jim McIlroy, Stanwell Moor Village, Heathrow. (Tony Kershaw via SWNS)
Jim McIlroy, a ward councilor who lives in the village, says he has spent over 12 years campaigning for proper compensation for its residents.
The local of 40 years believes £3,000 is not enough for the issues that they face, from a lack of parking to the noise of planes.
He said: "Every 45 seconds we have an aircraft come over here. This will be the biggest expansion in the country. Heathrow are a bad neighbor.
"The village has changed drastically, and it is not what it once was. A lot of people have recently moved because they have just had enough.
"There is no world where Gatwick should be compensated more than the biggest airport in the country."
(Photo by Tristan Wong via Pexels)
A Quieter Neighbourhood Scheme is in place to provide "acoustic insulation" which, in practice, means replacing some residents windows and doors.
But Jim says some 70 homes have been excluded from this.
He added: "Generations of families have lived here, and they don't want to move away. If people want to stay, then they should be compensated substantially.
"It is ludicrous. In ten years, it is possible that this village won't be here anymore.
"It is not right for a village to have this much commercial traffic going through it with the roads we have.
"Everywhere you look there is more misery being piled on the people of the village."
Resident Graham Hawkins, Stanwell Moor Village, Heathrow, 25th August 2026 . // Villagers living next to Heathrow have blasted a £3k third runway compensation offer - saying their lives are already blighted by litter, traffic and noise brought on by their "bad neighbour".Residents of Stanwell Moor, which borders the airport's south-west corner, are fed up and fear problems are about to get worse.A third runway has been proposed for Heathrow which would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers, and rerouting the M25 motorway.According to current plans, the runway will be built to the north-west of the airport - meaning Stanwell Moor will not see any properties knocked down.
For years, residents say they have also been dealing with taxi drivers parking in the road and urinating by their homes.
A Public Space Protection Order has since been brought in which sees these drivers fined £100 ($135) for parking on the street if reported.
Graham Hawkins, 77, who has lived in the village for 40 years, says things are starting to improve, but they are still plagued by parking issues.
He said: "We want more compensation. £3,000 is not nearly enough. We are basically on the runway. The big planes are very noisy.
"We are getting people parking here and going on holiday. They leave their cars and get on the bus to the airport. Nobody else can park and the people who live here can't get in.
"Taxi drivers are always parking in my disabled bay and they get quite aggressive when I ask them to move.
"We would all prefer to be bought out at this point. They should make it a cargo area or a car park."
Resident Claire Mack, Stanwell Moor Village, Heathrow. (Tony Kershaw via SWNS)
Claire Mack, 60, says that she would like to move house with all the issues, but she is worried that the expansion has caused her house price to plummet.
She said: "It has been a nightmare. My house is going to be less than a mile from "Terminal 6" and we are going to have a car park at the end of the road.
"I am worried that it is going to affect our ability to move. At some point this village will go and we know that. We would have to sell for peanuts."
On the compensation, she added: "It is a lovely village. The people are amazing and we all know each other. All we are asking for is that we are treated fairly.
"A measly £3,000 is an insult. It makes me feel not valued. It is a bit of a kick in the teeth."
However, some residents say that the airport is doing everything they can, with rangers regularly patrolling and helping to clear the mess.
Andy Riddlestone, 73, who used to work for the airport before his retirement, said: "It looks like the expansion might actually help our lot because the planes will be going in the other direction.
"I have got no real issues. I think they do pretty well personally. I would like to live here forever."
Resident Andy Riddlestone, Stanwell Moor Village, Heathrow. (Tony Kershaw via SWNS)
Andy, who has lived in the village for 46 years, says there are some noise issues, but he feels Heathrow has done all they can to reduce this.
He added: "The one thing I do complain about is that they do engine runs very early in the morning. In the summer we have the windows open so we can hear it.
"I was woken up at 6:17am the other day to the noise."
A Heathrow spokesperson said: "The comparison isn't like-for-like. Gatwick operates 24-hours-a-day with no ban on night flights.
"While they are providing slightly higher compensation in lower noise areas, it is for a far narrower pool of people impacted.
"Heathrow's offer of fully funded insulation applies to a wider area than Gatwick's, benefiting more of those most affected by noise.
"The reality is Gatwick and Heathrow operate in different environments which is why noise insulation schemes are adapted to local impacts."