‘Rachel Reeves wants to bulldoze our village to save herself – it’s a stab in the back’

villages and are extraordinary places of contradiction. Once nestled deep in the midst of the countryside, the former’s Grade I-listed Harmondsworth Barn remains remarkably well-preserved in the shadow of the shiny hangars of nearby technology that could never have been imagined when its timber frame was first erected.

Now, both villages are feared to be at risk because of their proximity to busiest airport, a symbol of the bustling, loud 21st century global .

Today, is widely expected to announce the approval of a third runway for the west London site, a project that would see all of Longford and a huge chunk of Harmondsworth levelled, according to consultation documents.

The controversial scheme, which would be the biggest civil engineering project since the ill-fated HS2 project, has been in the offing for decades, consistently kicked into the long grass by successive administrations. The costs were estimated to be at least £14billion in 2014 and are likely to have soared since.

As far back as 2006, an official review of long-term air transport policy reaffirmed the need for additional runways at Heathrow and Stansted. In 2016, a new north-west runway and terminal became government policy. In 2020, the Supreme Court allowed a planning application to proceed. Progress has since stalled.

Now the Chancellor in her boldest – and perhaps riskiest – move yet is poised to restart the long-awaited expansion scheme in a bid to help grow the British economy.

But are the cards stacked against the proposal? Many locally think so and little green signs reading bluntly “Stop Heathrow Expansion” are scattered along the road into Harmondsworth. Locals fear the noise overhead of increased flights, as well as years of building work.

It’s in the drizzle on Harmondsworth High Street that a flight attendant walks past, impeccable in uniform and lipstick, hair carefully coiffed. On her way to a flight with a suitcase, she remains a powerful visual reminder of the impact the airport has on its neighbourhood.

Outside The Crown pub, which locals claim would have to close if around 700 houses, lived in by its customers, were demolished, is Lesley Reynolds O’Brien, 81.

She used to work in accounts and has lived in the village since 1971, which “used to be quieter” before jumbo jets were first introduced.

The former Labour Party member, who has been firmly against a third runway for 40 years, tells the Express: “It won’t bring any money into this country. It will all stay in the airport.”

Like many local residents, she does not relish the idea of having to move in her old age. “Why should I have to move,” she protests. “Where do I go that’s like this?”

Her disappointment in the new government is palpable.

Fears that the new runway won’t deliver the desired growth anyway are echoed by Alex Chapman, an economist at the New Economics Foundation, who thinks the case for an expansion is being “overstated”. He believes the project would have an “overall negative effect on the economy”.

He says: “There’s a key issue here which is to consider exactly what the primary function of airport capacity in the South East is, and that is principally to send UK residents away on leisure travel.”

Dr Chapman adds: “There hasn’t been any growth in business purposes, air travel or net additional growth, for two decades. The peak year for business travel was in 2006, which means that these expansions are purely about the leisure market.”

Around three-quarters of this in the last decade or so has been UK residents flying out, and spending their money abroad.

“So on that basis, these three airport expansions (Luton and Gatwick expansion plans are also set to be approved) are looking at taking say 40 to 50 million journeys each year for passengers leaving the UK,” he adds.

In 2023, the UK had a travel spending deficit of £40billion, Dr Chapman explains, when the impact of the pandemic was still encouraging people to spend time and money on staycations in the UK.

“But now, as a result of these types of policies, expansion, and the low tax environment for aviation, that’s obviously retreating, and domestic tourism is in decline, which is going to hurt those wider regions,” he adds. He also emphasises there has also been no growth in the weight of freight moved.

The Chancellor, he argues, needs to instead focus on the country’s struggling high streets, and invest in domestic transport infrastructure elsewhere in the country, including linking projects like the Northern Powerhouse Rail and the East West Rail link between Oxford and Cambridge.

These would also be better for the environment, Dr Chapman adds. He concludes: “Investment is needed right now, but it just needs to be investment in the right things. Projects which combine our gross objectives with climate goals.”

Justine Bayley, 74, chair of Stop Heathrow Expansion, has lived in the village of Harmondsworth for 30 years. She invites the Expres to her house, part of which dates from the 16th century, to see first hand the impact of an expansion.

Sitting in the dining room, she gives a stark prediction about the future of the local economy: “The boundary would be 50 paces from my front door. The village, as it exists at the moment, would completely disappear, because the two pubs and the shops wouldn’t have any business, everyone would be gone.”

The remaining buildings, including several that are historically significant, such as the Grade I-listed Harmondsworth Barn, built in 1426, would be “shaken to pieces”.

She adds: “It would be a plane spotter’s paradise. But I’m not. I’d rather grow flowers… I’d have to put ear defenders on every time I came out of the front door.”

Her chief concern is a third runway’s impact on the climate, which, the retired archeologist believes, will ultimately be why the plan will not go ahead.

She refers to the four tests laid out by Labour while the party was in opposition, which emphasised that the scheme must be consistent with binding climate change obligations, and consider noise pollution and air pollution.

She is certainly not about to give up on her home just yet, adding: “I’m intending to live here forever. We’re not going to lose now.”

Behind the counter at Gable Stores in the high street stands Himesh Patel who is relaxed about the expansion ever actually coming to pass.

He says: “To be honest it’s a waste of time, they keep bringing it [the expansion] up. It’s been on the table for years now, hasn’t it? You don’t know when it will happen, if it will happen. God knows…One minute it’s on the table, the next it’s off.”

One local already knows what his next move will be if the runway goes ahead.

Richard Law, 65, is sweeping a patch of road outside his house in Cambridge Close. The retired printer, who has lived in the village since 2012, says: “I rent this house. So if they go ahead with a third runway, I shall probably be out the door and have to find somewhere else. It’s pretty devastating.

“I’m sure they can cope with the runways they’ve got at the moment… We vote these people in and they’ve stabbed us in the back. They’ve hit us with everything.”

After years of wrangling over the project, Mr Law is not convinced anything will actually change. He says: “Even if they went through with it I can’t see it materialising – not while I’m still around.”

He concedes that it would bring economic benefits, but feels people’s lives and living situations should be a priority, adding: “It will boost the economy, I’m sure it will. But what comes first? A roof over your head or a runway?”

There are those, though, who believe the Government simply need to get on with it, whatever the inevitable fallout.

Perry Phillips, the GMB union’s regional organiser, tells the Express: “GMB would welcome the Government backing an expansion at Heathrow. An extra runway is vital for local and national prosperity, and it will create a huge number of high-quality jobs and apprenticeships. We want to see this project progressed without further delay.”

Retired air traffic controller Julian Mosses, 76, is quick to point out Rachel Reeves opposed a £150million new terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport in 2020.

The new runway would not be finished quickly, Mr Mosses adds. “10, 15 years. What good is that going to be to us? I’ll have to move out in 10 years time. Do you want to move house when you’re 86?”

Julian points out that he would prefer a negative outcome but adds: “I’m not against a runway. What I am against is the uncertainty that it’s creating.”

Dan Tomlinson MP, Labour’s Growth Mission Champion, says: “Kickstarting growth to put more money in people’s pockets is the defining mission of this government – because without growth, our country will continue in the spiral of decline and squeezed living standards we saw under 14 years of the .

“Whether it’s infrastructure investment, our commitment to building 1.5million new homes, or our Clean Power 2030 goal, Labour will create jobs and deliver new transport connections for Britain, while remaining steadfast in our commitment to net zero.”

Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association (BTA), says Heathrow “plays an essential role as an enabler of economic prosperity, facilitating trade and investment”.

He adds: “The expansion at Heathrow will provide our airport infrastructure and travel management companies, who we represent, with much-needed additional capacity.

“It will enable the UK to compete on an equal footing with leading global connectivity hubs such as Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport in France and Frankfurt airport in Germany who both boast four runways.

“These airports are pivotal to their nations’ economic success, and it is imperative that the UK matches this level of global connectivity to strengthen its position as a world leader in business.”

Transport expert Polyvios Polyviou of BusinessLDN says: “London’s airports are a vital gateway to the world and have an important role to play in helping the UK economy to lift off. Demand for international travel has bounced back sharply following the pandemic with passenger levels at record levels, which means greater capacity is now urgently needed to ensure the UK remains competitive.

“As an island nation, we should send a clear message that the UK is open for business by backing sustainable airport expansion while taking steps to accelerate the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including through the development of a strong domestic sustainable aviation fuel industry.”

Back in Harmondsworth, locals are bracing themselves for today’s announcement. As to whether a third runway ever actually takes off, or remains stalled on the tarmac, it’s anyone’s guess.