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Feature: Centuries-old villages face being wiped out by planned Heathrow expansion

Xinhua, October 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

They've survived centuries that have seen world wars and the industrial revolution. They date back to the days when horse-drawn stagecoaches were the fastest mode of travel along dirt track highways..

Ancient villages, one dating back to the fifth century, face being wiped off by the planned third runway at Heathrow.

Instead of enjoying idyllic surroundings, with local inns and village greens, the villages, Harmondsworth, Longford and Sipson are at the epicentre of one of the biggest battles they have ever faced.

A decade ago they fought and beat off plans for an expansion of Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, after mounting a campaign.

The British government announced Tuesday backing for a 20 billion U.S.dollar-expansion at Heathrow, which means new battle plans being drawn up.

Harmondsworth, with a population of 1,500, will see most of its houses pulled down, leaving very little left of a village that dates back to the year 780.

Among the buildings left standing will be the village pub, the Five Bells, the parish church dating back to the 12th century, and the largest tithe barn in England, built in 1425.

The village is standing in the way of the third runway and plane taxiways, and will be cleared for the development.

Longford, which will also virtually disappear altogether, will lose hundreds of homes, schools, shops and community facilities, It started life as a Saxon settlement in the fifth century.

Sipson, also set to lose homes, has been a village for over 1,000 years and still has an inn and a village shop dating back to the 1600s.

Robert Barnstone, coordinator of Stop Heathrow Expansion, a campaign group representing residents of the affected villages, told Xinhua: "There were children as young as eight and people in their 80s weeping when the announcement was made."

"If this goes ahead, life will change for thousands of families. Children will be separated from their schools and their friends and long-established communities will be destroyed."

"The closest runway is a mile away, but if this scheme goes ahead, the village will be consumed by the runway. Harmondsworth is a typical old English village, surviving for so long but now threatened."

"Around 3,750 houses in the villages around the third runway site will be demolished or rendered unliveable as a result of this plan."

"We went down this road in 2007 when a Labour government put forward an expansion plan for Heathrow. That was challenged by campaigner, and we believe we can successfully challenge the new proposals."

The local authorities, including the one covering the constituency of Prime Minister Theresa May, are mounting challenges to the Heathrow plan. It is going to be mired in legal cases and campaigns for years.

"Heathrow is saying it wants to see work start before the end of this parliament in 2020. I don't see that happening."

The government favours a third runway at Heathrow to ease air capacity in the crowded London and the southeast region of Britain.

MPs in the House of Commons will have a vote next year on the Heathrow proposals. Endit