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Policy paper

Updated statement of approach: Heathrow expansion national policy statement

Updated 23 October 2026

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-engagement-on-the-heathrow-expansion-consultation/updated-statement-of-approach-heathrow-expansion-national-policy-statement

Following the government’s review of the 2018 Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), a revised draft policy statement, renamed the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), was published for consultation on 18 June 2026.

The public consultation on the draft HENPS closed on 1 September 2026. The consultation was the principal mechanism through which stakeholders, communities, businesses, public bodies and other interested parties were invited to provide views on the draft policy statement.

Following the closure of the consultation:

  • the department will move to a more limited engagement approach than applied during the consultation period – the department’s focus is now on reviewing and considering the responses received
  • the department will not enter into discussions that could be perceived as providing stakeholders with a further opportunity to submit or expand upon representations outside the consultation process
  • requests from stakeholders to meet solely for the purpose of discussing, supplementing or further promoting views already submitted through the consultation will not be accepted
  • no meetings will take place between stakeholders, including prospective promoters and the department’s HENPS review team on the contents of the draft HENPS – the team will contact stakeholders in writing if they require any clarification of points raised in a consultation response

This does not prevent the department from:

  • undertaking engagement where it considers engagement to be necessary to support the effective conduct of government business, improve decision-making or fulfil its statutory or administrative responsibilities
  • undertaking department-led engagement, focused on specific issues where discussion or information sharing is required, for example in relation to potential promoters’ plans for delivery
  • continuing to engage, where appropriate, with organisations and individuals in their ordinary operational capacities – this may include engagement with airport operators, regulators, public authorities and other relevant bodies where required for purposes that are separate from providing representations on the draft HENPS

In undertaking any post-consultation engagement, the department will continue to:

  • avoid creating any opportunity for or the perception that selected stakeholders can influence the HENPS development process after the formal consultation period has ended
  • treat comparable stakeholders consistently
  • maintain appropriate records of substantive engagement undertaken during the consultation response review period
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