Following Parliament’s historic decision to endorse expansion at Heathrow, the Airports National Policy Statement was designated. This allows an applicant to bring forward an application for development consent, which would be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Expansion at Heathrow would bring up to £74 billion of benefits to passengers and the wider economy.

As part of the next stage of the process, an applicant will need to carry out further consultation with local communities on the finer details of their scheme design and the associated compensation and mitigation packages. The applicant would also be expected to conduct a full environmental impact assessment. Alongside this an applicant will need to develop plans for the necessary airspace changes around the airport, including new flightpaths. These will also be subject to consultation with local communities, ahead of being submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority for approval.

The Government undertook a strategic assessment of the effects of Heathrow expansion on local communities surrounding the airport, as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS). This assessment included consideration of a range of effects, including those to the environment, and the local economy. The AoS was first published online in February 2017 and consulted on as part of the Airports National Policy Statement process. The AoS was available for MPs consideration before the Parliament’s historic decision to back expansion at Heathrow.