The ‘Residents of Summerhouse Lane’ group from Harmondsworth (a village which will be impacted by Heathrow’s new runway) submitted a petition to Downing Street yesterday calling on the Government to provide certainty, fairness and the chance to get on with their lives without further delays.

Many residents living in the village say they are supportive of expansion, but want to move on from living in blight, and want to receive fair compensation for their homes.

Joan Cobb, leader of the Residents of Summerhouse Lane group and a Harmondsworth resident, said:

“We have lived with uncertainty for far too long. We have families, homes and lives to plan, but we cannot properly do that while we do not know what is going to happen to our properties. If our homes are needed for the third runway, then tell us clearly and give us a fair route to move on. Like many who live here, I back the runway. We know the benefits it will bring, but we are asking for certainty, fairness and the chance to get on with our lives.”

Parmjit Dhanda, Executive Director of Back Heathrow, said:

“These residents have faced uncertainty for very many years. Many of them have had good careers at Heathrow, now they deserve compensation and the opportunity to move on with their lives. We need a faster process - not dragged out by further legal challenges.”

ENDS

Notes to editor:

·       Pictures include the Residents of Summerhouse Lane group handing in their petition outside No. 10 Downing Street, and posing for a photograph in Westminster