For David Rose, an 84-year-old homeowner in Longford, a third runway at Heathrow Airport would threaten far more than bricks and mortar.
It would mean losing the family home of 50 years where he raised his children.
The pensioner owns one of around 750 properties in the London villages of Longford and Harmondsworth that will be knocked down if the £49billion expansion is approved.
The 2.1-mile runway would increase the airport’s capacity by almost 50 percent, from 84 million annual passengers to 150 million by 2035.
Some locals are so ‘desperate’ to hold onto their homes that airport officials have decided to send letters to residents within the compulsory purchase zones offering a ‘mental wellbeing support service’.
Elderly homeowners who have lived in the villages for decades worry about where they will end up if they are forced to relocate, while others simply feel too old to move.
Mr Rose, who has lived in his house in Longford since 1970, told the Daily Mail: ‘I’m not very happy about it at all. I’m really against it.’
Across the road, resident Trevor Gordon, who moved to the village 45 years ago, said: ‘I don’t really feel I’ve got the energy to move, I’m 75, […] I’d rather just sit here until I die.
David Rose, an 84-year-old homeowner in Longford, said he is ‘really against’ a third runway at Heathrow Airport
Longford is one of the villages due to be demolished if the Heathrow third runway expansion goes ahead
Pub Landlord Clifford Hare, who owns The White Horse in Longford, said residents have been ‘stuck in limbo’ as they wait for a final decision on the expansion
Signs rejecting the possibility of a third runway have been put up on houses across the villages of Longford and Harmondsworth
‘I just wish they’d make a decision – a proper decision rather than maybe. It’s been hanging over our heads as we can’t move anyway – we can’t sell the house, even if I wanted to.’
Mr Gordon’s neighbour, Ben, condemned the offer of mental health support to residents, which will include a 24/7 helpline as well as one-to-one therapy sessions available online or in person.
‘As far as I’m concerned, for them it’s just a matter of ticking boxes,’ he said.
‘It was mentioned to me yesterday. What are they going to do, the people talking to you, they don’t care.’
For long-term Longford resident Thomas McGregor-Brown, the threat of losing his home feels almost unbearable given how much he loves the area.
The 89-year-old lives on ‘The Island’, a four-acre residential hideaway in the village.
‘I feel quite desperate about it,’ he said. ‘We don’t need a third runway. If they build it, my village would disappear.
‘It’s a beautiful village. There are houses from the 17th century, one at least is alleged to be haunted, and it’s a beautiful place.
‘I’ve lived on The Island for 49 years. Why do they have to demolish the homes and lives of people? Forty-nine years is a long time to live in one place.’
For 58-year-old Sandra Hinge, however, losing her 500-year-old cottage would come as a relief following years of uncertainty about whether the proposals will go ahead.
Plans to expand Heathrow Airport with a third runway have dragged on for more than 20 years, facing repeated delays amid political and environmental opposition.
In January 2025, Rachel Reeves confirmed the Labour government supports a third runway and invited proposals to move it forward – but still no construction timetable is in place.
Ben, who has lived in Longford for six years, is strongly against a third runway and does not want to leave his home
Longford is a pretty village featuring thatched cottages, an old pub and some 500-year-old properties
Thomas McGregor-Brown, 89, said he feels ‘desperate’ about the situation and dreads saying goodbye to his home in Longford
Harmondsworth is a picturesque village next to Heathrow featuring a pretty pub in the centre
The village of Harmondsworth features dozens of signs stating ‘Stop Heathrow Expansion’
Ms Hinge, who has owned her house for 20 years and raised four children there, said: ‘We’re quite keen for it because we just want it done – it’s been hanging over our heads for such a long time.
‘I know there are a lot of people who don’t want to leave, but the problem is that the village has really gone downhill now, because the threat is constantly over us.’
The mother, a human resources manager, added: ‘We’ve got amazing memories, we’ve had four kids and they’ve all grown up here. We live next door to the pub, we’ve got a really good rapport with the landlord, so there is obviously a sadness to that.
‘You can’t stop progress unfortunately. The way we see it as well is it’s actually the best thing for the country.’
For Clifford Hare, homeowner and landlord of The White Horse pub in Longford, confirmation of the plans would also come as a relief.
‘I wish they’d get on with it quickly. It’s being in limbo that’s the problem. I’ve been here 40 years, since 1987, and it’s been on and off and on and off,’ he said.
‘It’s very difficult to invest in your property if you’re not knowing if next year it’s going to go.
‘We’ve always known living here it’s on your shoulders – in the background it’s always there.’
In neighbouring village Harmondsworth, 92-year-old Malcom Carey is right on the airport’s boundary line, meaning the rest of his street will be demolished if the plans are approved.
In Harmondsworth, 92-year-old Malcom Carey said the plans have left him in an ‘awkward’ position because his house is right on the boundary line, meaning the rest of his street will be demolished and only his house will remain
A sign encouraging people to ‘join the fight’ against Heathrow’s expansion is erected on a fence in Longford
Ian Matthews has lived in Longford for half a century and is unhappy about the possibility of having to move elsewhere
Within Harmondsworth village, two signs in a window read ‘No third runway’
‘The next house down from me is going. Virtually by my garage is where their boundary line is. It’s a bit awkward,’ he said.
‘I’m getting a little bit old, where would I move to?’
His friend Mr McGregor-Brown strongly opposes the plans, but said a lack of ‘choice’ has forced him to comply.
‘I have no choice, so I’ve put myself on the list for buying, but I don’t want to go,’ he said.
The letter about mental health support, reported by The Times this week, said the airport would provide ‘direct access to specialist clinical treatments’.
In response to the offer to provide therapy to impacted locals, Paul McGuinness, the chairman of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, said: ‘The launch of this service tells you all you need to know about the complexities of trying to push forward with this doomed project.
‘Heathrow expansion is not just about building a new airport next to the existing one. Its damaging proposals have real-life impacts on so many of us in communities impacted by the proposals.’
Heathrow’s Director of Communities and Residential Property, Becky Coffin, said: ‘We know that years of uncertainty around expansion has created anxiety among the local community, which is why we are funding free access to confidential and independent mental health support for those most affected.
‘We acknowledge that the coming years will be incredibly difficult for some, and this support is part of our commitment to be a better neighbour.’
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