Richmond Council urges residents to join Heathrow expansion meeting before consultation deadline
Richmond residents are being encouraged to take part in the Government’s only public online information meeting on Heathrow expansion as the consultation on plans for a potential third runway enters its final weeks.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has scheduled the online session for Wednesday 12 August, from 2pm to 3.30pm, giving residents an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, which would guide future planning decisions should expansion proposals come forward.
Richmond Council is urging local people to register for the event and submit their views before the consultation closes at 11.59pm on 1 September 2026. The authority argues that the consultation timetable has made meaningful public participation more difficult, with much of the engagement period falling during the summer holidays when many households are away or balancing childcare commitments.
Councillor Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of Richmond Council’s Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee, said the timing of the Government’s information event could prevent some of the communities most affected by Heathrow’s future from taking part. She said residents should still make every effort to engage with the consultation because the decisions being considered could shape west London’s environment and quality of life for decades.
The council has consistently opposed Heathrow expansion, maintaining that a third runway would bring increased aircraft noise, poorer air quality, higher carbon emissions and less respite from flights for communities already living beneath busy flight paths.
Ahead of the DfT meeting, Richmond Council held its own community discussion on the consultation, attracting more than 100 residents who were able to ask questions and discuss the potential effects of expansion on local neighbourhoods.
The authority says it will submit its own formal response before the consultation deadline and continue working alongside neighbouring boroughs, MPs and community organisations campaigning against further airport expansion.
Residents who cannot attend the online meeting are still being encouraged to respond directly through the Government consultation before it closes.
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