Cherry Lane Cemetery on Shepiston Lane, Harlington, may be under threat now that BAA has been given the go ahead by the Government to develop the hugely unpopular Third Runway and Sixth Terminal at London Heathrow Airport.
The map below is taken from the Department for Transport’s 2007 Consultation Document “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport”. The red lines indicate the roads to the Third Runway and Sixth Terminal development, which is the approximate size of Gatwick Airport. The Cemetery is highlighted in yellow here and arrows added.
The map shows Junction 4 of the M4 Spur re-aligned approximately 700m east of its current location, with a dual carriageway through the cemetery to meet Stockley Road. It is unclear the amount of land that will be used to include a central reservation, two lanes either side of the reservation and hard shoulders, or whether the proposed dual carriageway is a surface road or overpass.
The DfT labels the map is “indicative”, as it is subject to the “proper feasibility and option selection process” (Planning Process). There is no mention by name of Cherry Lane Cemetery in the Consultation Document.
The Government announced on the 15th January 2009 that it will go ahead and expand Heathrow airport (read CLAD Press statement). This means that the cemetery remains under threat, as it is on the indicative map. Cherry Lane Against Development (CLAD) strongly believes that the surface access option (i.e. the dual carriageway through the cemetery) in the map remains the favoured, and to use BAA's own words, “the easiest option”. BAA issued a statement in November 2008 saying that they will not use the cemetery to house the road, however, conceded that the DfT and the Highways Agency could still pursue this option despite their assurance. The question is, can we trust BAA to keep its word?
Until such time as BAA/DfT provide conclusive evidence that the cemetery will not be used to build a dual carriageway, CLAD will actively pursue a legally binding protection order preserving both the cemetery land and its surroundings, thereby ensuring the tranquillity remains and the 100 year lease held by mourners is honoured.
The fight to save the cemetery never ended. There is a long history of broken promises from BAA. Work with us to show them and the Government that together we will fight to the very end to keep our loved ones safe.
