On the 26th February 2025 I had a meeting at the Compass Centre with Becky Coffin, Heathrows Communities and Sustainability Director and James Holmes Heathrow’s, Head of Local Strategic Engagement.
I was concerned on my return to the Compass Centre regarding what could actually be achieved given Jon Harvey my then vice-chair and myself through hard fought negotiations with the previous director in 2019/20: – We had already been promised WPOZ for Stanwell Moor.
It was then cruelly taken from us when John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow CEO reneged on that promise when he announced we would not be included because we would not be impacted be ‘new noise’. This incensed our residents and set what should have been a new and positive position for both parties into yet another divisive spiral.
For the sake of our residents I decided it was better to be back at the table “driving the argument”, rather than letting things be decided for us. So to open the meeting I briefed the new team on the history and we discussed Heathrow’s expansion, the new taxiways, the current insulation package, and WPOZ.
TAXIWAY: – We discussed when the taxiway is fully operational it will mean over 300 additional flights landing over Stanwell Moor every day and this is undoubtedly “New Noise”.
INSULATION: – We discussed the ludicrous situation of how Heathrows desktop modelling and Leq contours are currently and unfairly stopping (10% of our residents) from being eligible for HALs current insulation package.
THIRD RUNWAY: – We discussed the 3rd runway, up to 740,000 flights a year, and how Stanwell Moor will be surrounded by Heathrow development. We discussed how a village so historically blighted by Heathrow has never been afforded the compensation it should have. We discussed how it will become unliveable and given all of the above that Heathrow will be forced to agree to WPOZ.
We discussed how HAL has an opportunity to “do the right thing” for residents who want to leave and those who will stay, before it is forced into an embarriassing U-turn by the Government. – That HAL should work with us and provide the so-called World-beating compensation for residents of Stanwell Moor NOW!
It was a positive meeting, or at least as positive as it can be for a first meeting with a new team, but I came away from it with Becky Coffins words ringing in my ears that; The new hierarchy wants to do the right thing and the reason I am in this job is because I am a people person. I replied; I sincerely hope that is the case and we can finally address some of these issues and right the wrongs Heathrow has foisted upon the most airport-blighted community within the Heathrow perimeter, starting with admitting that JHK’s new noise argument was wrong.
The meeting facilitated by the outgoing Chairman of Stanwell Moor Residents Association, who informed Heathrow representatives that he would not be standing again. I wished Arvinder well and hoped that the AGM would now go ahead and we would be able to form a new residents committee as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
Jim McIlroy