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Policy paper

Draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement surface access vision

Setting out the government's guiding principles for ensuring that the transport network around Heathrow works for local communities, passengers, staff and freight.

Documents

A strategic vision for transport to an expanded Heathrow Airport

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Details

This document sets out the guiding principles the government has identified when considering surface access to an expanded Heathrow, as well as potential interventions that promoters may implement to meet the public transport mode share targets set out in the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS).

Reliable, affordable, accessible, and sustainable surface transport access to Heathrow Airport is a central component of the government’s support for a third runway and expanded Heathrow.

As outlined in the draft HENPS, the expansion of Heathrow Airport will have a range of impacts on local and national transport networks during the construction and operational phases. Without effective mitigation, expansion is likely to increase congestion on existing routes and have negative environmental impacts such as increased noise and emissions.

Improving surface access is essential to facilitating passenger growth at Heathrow and to ensuring that the resulting increase in demand for surface transport does not place undue pressure on surrounding communities or infrastructure.

Updates to this page

Published 18 June 2026

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