Spelthorne councillors vote on 22 October on opposing Heathrow's third runway. Heathrow's own consultation on the plans runs from 27 October to 22 December.
Spelthorne Borough Council will vote next week on whether to oppose a third runway at Heathrow.
The motion goes to full Council on Thursday 22 October. It was proposed by Councillor Laura Barker, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Staines, and seconded by Councillor Chris Bateson, the deputy leader. Its full text, from the motions for the meeting, reads:
“This Council opposes the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport due to the significant detrimental impact it would have on our local communities, including increased traffic and congestion, air pollution, noise and the wider environmental impact, including the contribution of air travel to climate change.”
The vote comes five days before Heathrow opens its own public consultation on expansion.
A change from the council’s current position
Opposing a third runway outright would be a shift for the council. A briefing note for councillors, published with the agenda, says the council “has historically acknowledged the case for Heathrow expansion”.
Its adopted Local Plan has a policy on the airport, SP7. The note says it supports expansion “if it is undertaken in a sustainable and integrated way”, with effective mitigation for communities, businesses, services and the environment.
The note says Stanwell Moor and Stanwell “are likely to be most directly affected”, and remain “central to the Council’s position”. It lists what officers see as the main issues for the borough:
- noise, air quality and wider environmental impacts
- road congestion, surface access and public transport
- the effect on Stanwell Moor, Stanwell and other communities
- compensation, mitigation and local benefit packages
- construction over a long delivery period
The council does not decide
Whatever councillors vote, the decision on a third runway is not theirs. Expansion is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. An examining authority hears the application and the Secretary of State makes the final decision.
The briefing note describes the council’s role as an “interested party”. It can respond to consultations and give evidence, and it says the stage before an application is submitted is when it has “the greatest opportunity to influence the process”.
Two schemes on the table
Two companies are promoting a third runway. The briefing note sets them out:
| Heathrow Airport Limited | Heathrow West Limited | |
|---|---|---|
| Runway length | 3,500m | 2,400m, could extend to 3,500m later |
| Estimated cost | £49 billion | £23 billion |
| Runway open by | 2039 | 2035 |
| Includes | New terminal space, cargo, M25 realignment, more parking, bigger public transport interchange | New terminal, new car parks, road and travel links |
| Public consultation | 27 October to 22 December 2026 | Expected May 2027 |
Both schemes would take Heathrow from 480,000 flights a year to 756,000 on full build-out, and to around 150 million passengers a year. Heathrow West’s first phase would take passenger capacity to 120 million. Both promoters expect to apply for permission in November 2027, the note says.
The government is also rewriting the national policy any application will be judged against. The note says the updated Airports National Policy Statement, to be renamed the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, is expected to be finalised in early 2027.
Heathrow’s consultation
Heathrow Airport Limited’s consultation announcement says the eight-week consultation runs from 27 October to 22 December. It promises:
- more than 20 in-person events in local towns and villages
- six online sessions
- experts on noise, air quality and the environment at the events
The proposals include a new runway to the north west of the current airport. The airport says full details of event times, dates and places “will be published in October”. They were not on its website when we checked on 15 October.
Heathrow says a third runway would create 108,000 jobs nationwide. It also says “consistent polling over the last decade” shows that local communities support expansion.
What it means for you
You do not have to wait for the council. From 27 October you can read the plans and comment directly on Heathrow’s consultation page. Comments made now shape the application before it is submitted.
If you live in Stanwell or Stanwell Moor, the council’s own note names you as the most directly affected. The local events will be the place to ask about noise, traffic and compensation in person. We will list any in Spelthorne once Heathrow publishes them.
If you want to watch the vote, the motion is item 15 on the 22 October agenda at the council offices at Knowle Green. The same item includes a motion asking the council to join the Coalition to End Gambling Ads, and one backing new powers over which businesses can open on high streets.
We will report how councillors vote.
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