The Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport (CISHA)
CISHA ensures independent oversight of the way Heathrow engages with stakeholders.
The Council and its forums work with stakeholders to make progress on the issues that matter to them. We hold the airport to account and work to help ensure it is the best neighbour it can be. We fulfil the role of Airport Consultative Committee (ACC) as set out in Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act. For more information on an ACC have a look at our ACC Fact sheet.
Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement
On 18 June the Government published its draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), the policy framework that guides any future decisions for expansion at Heathrow Airport. It replaces the predecessor document, the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS).
We welcome its publication and the transparency it brings and, most importantly, the much-needed community and stakeholder engagement that can now take place. It is important to recognise that the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement does not grant development consent and does not approve any specific scheme, but it does set out the case that a 3rd runway is needed.
It is encouraging to see that the draft HENPS contains a strong commitment to community engagement and endorsement of a new Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board (HEICEB), established through the Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport (CISHA), with a remit to ensure that communities have a voice in any expansion of Heathrow Airport.1
The draft HENPS sets out:
The Government’s policy on the need for increased capacity at Heathrow Airport;
Why the Government has selected the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme for the purposes of the Airports NPS review;
The specific requirements that a scheme must demonstrate and meet in order to make an application for development consent.
It is accompanied by an Appraisal of Sustainability, Habitats Regulation Assessment, Equality Impact Assessment and Health Impact Analysis, among other supporting documents.
The Government has now opened a public consultation on the draft HENPS. The consultation will remain open until 1 September 2026. It asks 12 questions that relate to issues such as the assessment of the need for proposed expansion, mitigation measures for environmental impacts, the fairness of the compensation for affected residents and for further comments on the draft HENPS. This public consultation is an important opportunity to shape the policy framework and for local communities to express their views and concerns.
Details for how to respond, and what happens next can be found at HENPS consultation
An important part of the scrutiny of the HENPS is an inquiry led by the Parliamentary Transport Committee. The Committee has now launched its inquiry into the HENPS. The first stage of the process is for the committee to request written submissions from stakeholders and experts to a range of questions it has set out. The deadline for submissions is 23 July 2026. Although separate to the Government’s consultation respondents are welcome to draw upon or reflect consultation responses in any submission to the Committee. Further details on the Committee’s inquiry, terms of reference and how to respond can be found at Transport Committee Scrutiny of the draft HENPS
Commenting on the Government’s consultation, Tracey Waltho, Independent Chair of CISHA and of HEICEB said:
“I know from many direct conversations and meetings with local communities and stakeholders just how unsettling the current uncertainty is. The publication of the draft HENPS does not reduce that, but it will provide an opportunity for residents and communities to respond to the consultation: to express their views on whether a third runway is needed and shape the conditions that any detailed expansion proposal would have to meet.
CISHA understands that residents and local communities will have many questions. Through the Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board, we will continue to support local communities to best understand the consultation and respond. We will add more information on the Board’s plans to the Heathrow Expansion Watch website in the coming days.”
Heathrow West Consulation
We are aware that Heathrow West has published further details of their plans for the expansion of Heathrow Airport, along with their own consultation process. You can find that by clicking on this link.
We appreciate that unexpected announcements like this may cause concern and uncertainty within local communities. We will be reviewing the information that has just been published and will update the Heathrow Expansion Watch site more fully next week.
CISHA, through its dedicated Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board*, is committed to working with both of the scheme promoters (Heathrow Airport Ltd and Heathrow West), together with the Department for Transport, to seek greater clarity on the multi-promoter situation, and to ensure there is an opportunity for community members to raise questions and concerns at each stage. We will facilitate that with independent advice and support.
12th June 2026
*Note: The Heathrow Expansion Independent Community Engagement Board (HEICEB) has a remit to ensure that communities have a voice in any expansion of Heathrow Airport. These additional responsibilities, over and above CISHA’s work as an Airport Consultative Committee, regarding community engagement in the event of the airport’s expansion were detailed in the 2018 Airports National Policy Statement.
CISHA publishes independent review of Heathrow’s sustainability performance
The Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport (CISHA) has published its 2025 Scrutiny Report, providing an independent assessment of Heathrow Airport’s progress against its sustainability commitments under the Heathrow 2.0 sustainability strategy.
The report focuses on the issues that matter most to local communities, including:
· Noise
· Air quality
· Carbon emissions
· Local jobs and opportunities
· Community impact
While the report recognises progress in areas such as cleaner air initiatives and local employment opportunities, it also highlights concerns where further action is needed. In particular, CISHA identifies risks around Net Zero delivery, worsening noise trends, and the increasing pressure that passenger growth is placing on sustainability targets.
The report calls for:
· Greater transparency and accountability
· Faster progress in key environmental areas
· More timely and independently assured data
· Clearer plans showing how Heathrow will meet its 2030 sustainability goals
CISHA has also recommended the creation of a publicly accessible community dashboard to make sustainability information easier for residents and stakeholders to understand and scrutinise. The report includes a series of recommendations to Heathrow Airport and requests a formal response by 25 June 2026.
Read the full report and press release
Statement from CISHA
Commenting on the release of the Scrutiny Report 2025, Tracey Waltho, CISHA Chair said;
“One of CISHA’s roles is to provide independent oversight of Heathrow Airport’s sustainability performance, by monitoring progress against its strategy, [Connecting People and Planet, Heathrow 2.0.]. We do this because the communities living around Heathrow (along with passengers and workers in and around the airport) are directly impacted by how well the Airport’s sustainability commitments are delivered in practice.
Effective scrutiny shines a light on progress on the issues that matter most to communities, including noise, air quality, jobs and support for local businesses, and community investment activities and since becoming Chair I have signalled my commitment to add rigour to this process – dialling up transparency and accountability.
This report represents a step change in our approach: we have introduced a structured impact and accountability framework and a dedicated focus on Heathrow’s sustainability performance. Together, these developments have enabled a more systematic and rigorous assessment of Heathrow’s performance against its 2030 goals, testing the evidence presented and highlighting the risks to delivery.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our panel of experts and our report lead, together with Heathrow for embracing this process and their commitment to building on this framework in 2026.”
Heathrow Responds
Heathrow has formally responded to CISHA's 2025 Scrutiny Report. The response welcomes independent scrutiny and acknowledges opportunities to improve transparency, stakeholder engagement, data accessibility, and communication of sustainability progress.
Heathrow has also committed to ongoing engagement with CISHA throughout 2026 on key issues including Net Zero, noise, and communities. Read Heathrow’s response.
CISHA is responsible for ensuring constructive and effective engagement between Heathrow Airport and those who are impacted by the airport.
Independent research commissioned by CISHA has found that
Heathrow's approach to property schemes requires significant improvement.
Key messages
750 homes are at risk of demolition if expansion proceeds
Planning consent is not expected before 2029 at the earliest, extending uncertainty for affected households
Heathrow’s Interim Property Hardship Scheme ranks poorly against comparable national infrastructure schemes.
CISHA Recommendations
CISHA is calling on Heathrow Airport to take immediate action:
Put residents at the centre of property scheme design
Reset hardship criteria to reflect real-life pressures
Provide clear early-exit routes for those needing to move now
Ensure fair, transparent valuations with independent advice
Extend support to renters as well as homeowners
Statement from CISHACommenting on the research and findings CISHA said;
“An important part of our work is not only listening but also asking the questions that help bring focus to the issues which matter to the community. This research work and its findings are vital in helping address the frustration around a scheme which is pivotal to people's lives.”
New research from CISHA highlights the need for improvement of Heathrow Airport’s property schemes as uncertainty continues for households affected by ongoing 3rd runway plans
Thousands of residents living near Heathrow Airport are facing prolonged uncertainty about their homes, with existing property support schemes falling short of their intended purpose. New research published by CISHA finds that, as plans for a potential third runway continue, affected communities may face at least three to four more years of disruption and insecurity.
CISHA’s membership includes six forums that represent stakeholders in and around Heathrow Airport
CAP3149: Heathrow Capacity Expansion – consultation on regulatory policy on early costs
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) consulted on CAP 3149 - Heathrow Expansion Costs. caa.co.uk/cap3149
The Consultation was about whether early planning expenses (like design, environmental studies, legal preparation, and engagement) should be recovered before the Government decides on Heathrow’s expansion.
CISHA submitted a formal response to the CAA's consultation on early costs & Heathrow expansion (CAP 3149) on the recovery of early costs linked to Heathrow’s proposed capacity expansion.
Our Key Messages in Response:
Heathrow’s expansion brings a degree of uncertainty for local communities, with potential effects on property, well-being, and local investment.
The regulatory framework should aim to balance efficiency with fairness, so that community-related investments are not overlooked.
We highlight the value of meaningful community compensation, noting the Airports Commission’s recommendation of more than £1 billion in this area.
Early property-related costs should be managed in a way that gives residents and businesses choice, alongside support for essential local services.
We favour a transparent and fair process for cost recovery, with appropriate oversight to reduce the risk of unnecessary duplication between scheme promoters.
The CAA’s duties to consumers, as well as its wider responsibilities relating to environmental and community matters, should both be taken into account.
CISHA welcomes the CAA’s leadership on this consultation and calls for a regulatory approach that supports both consumers and local communities throughout the expansion process.
View CISHA’s full written response
Posted: 10 September 2025