Most people will have heard about the proposed plans for the third runway at Heathrow by now – and indeed it forms one of our other news items this month – but the runway is only half of this particular story.
Many people near to the airport would have their lives blighted by the increase in noise and pollution created by the increasing number of flights a new runway would bring. But for some other people, it wouldn’t be a question of living in a noisier area than they are in at the moment. Instead, they wouldn’t actually have homes there at all.
Why is this? As unbelievable as it may sound, if the plans for the new runway are successful, a whole village would be scrapped in order for the runway to be created.
The village of Sipson might not be a very familiar one to you or I, but you can be sure that its name will be appearing in the news very soon if the runway is indeed given the go ahead. This village has hundreds of homes and hundreds of residents. And yet their needs and wishes will be overshadowed by the needs and wishes of those at Heathrow, if the powers that be do end up getting their third runway.
This is clearly a story of the mighty against the small people. While the proposals for the new runway have to go through the proper channels, it is clear that they would be given serious consideration – even though that would mean the destruction of so many homes.
The homeowners would be paid for the homes of course, but many of the people living in the area are elderly. The emotional toll of having to move is not inconsiderable at any age, if you love the place you live in. But for these people it would be dreadful.
It is telling though that the news about this event concentrates mainly on the runway proposals and on the environmental impact. Very few articles and news reports make any mention at all of the effect it would have on the village of Sipson. Perhaps the idea is that the plan would benefit millions if it went ahead, and the cost to thousands is a worthy price to pay.
It does make you wonder whether the plans would have come so far if someone in the government had a home in the village themselves. That may be a cynical view to take, but as we creep closer to the decision on whether the runway will go ahead or not, it does make you wonder.
As the news is announced we will of course report on the outcome. But even if approval is given and the village of Sipson is put in jeopardy, it may still be some time yet before the village disappears for good. The fact that legal challenges are almost certain to happen means that we are a long way off from waving goodbye to this village.