FLAME - Four Lanes Are More Than Enough

Summary

FLAME is a local Runnymede-based transport pressure group that was set up back in 1992 to fight government plans to expand the M25 motorway, which was such a big issue back then. By FLAME’s constitution, any local Residents’ Association prepared to endorse its aims and objectives is entitled to provide two members to their coordinating committee. ERA was part of FLAME from the outset. By its nature, FLAME is dormant most of the time but rises to the challenge when needs must. The current FLAME committee sees a threat of a further expansion of the M25 should the Government give the go-ahead for a new runway at Heathrow. The two are intricately linked.

The ERA Committee has identified the whole issue of Heathrow expansion as in need of our renewed attention, and as part of this we will be in contact over the Autumn with all members to elicit feelings/opinions/ideas. But the M25 and Heathrow are linked in more ways than one and opposition to expansion of the M25, which has such a massive and proximal impact on the town, is in ERA’s blood. We would surely be active against any such plans for the M25 that would harm Egham.

BBC News - 2nd August 2025 - Heathrow Airport’s expansion plans

Heathrow Airport has revealed details of its plan to expand and modernise the airport at a cost of £49bn. Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, said expansion was “urgent” as the airport was currently working at capacity, “to the detriment of trade and connectivity”. The work would be funded by private finance.

The government has backed plans for a third runway, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying it would “make Britain the world’s best-connected place to do business”. However, the plans face opposition from environmental groups, politicians, and locals. London’s mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said it would have a “severe impact on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets”.

The plans come a day after the deadline set by the government for parties to submit proposals.

Heathrow’s plans, which it estimates would be completed within a decade, include:

Heathrow said it would cost £21bn to build the third runway, which includes procuring the land, changing the M25 and other associated infrastructure costs while building the new terminal would be £12bn and modernising the current airport’s infrastructure £15bn. Due to rounding, it will total £49bn.

The plans revealed by Heathrow were welcomed by business groups and airline companies. A joint statement from the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, MakeUK, Federation of Small Businesses and Institute of Directors, said it was “an investment in the nation’s future”. However, the plans were heavily criticised by groups who called the environmental justifications for the plans as “hopeful marketing spin”. Dr Douglas Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, said the government had “decided yet again to prioritise more leisure opportunities for a comparatively small group of frequent fliers, whilst the rest of us have to live with the consequences of their disproportionate polluting”.

Heathrow’s plans follow the publication of a rival proposal by the Arora Group, which has outlined a way to expand the airport without needing to redirect the M25. Owner of the group, hotel tycoon Surinder Arora, said the creation of a third runway and a new terminal, under his plans, had a cost estimate of under £25bn, not including the redevelopment of the airport’s existing central area. The proposal crucially does not involve an expensive alteration to the M25, as the group said it was possible to build a 2,800-metre (9,200 ft) third runway instead of the full-length 3,500-metre (11,500 ft) runway planned by the airport. Arora Group said its plan, called Heathrow West, could have a new runway fully operational by 2035, while a new terminal would open in two phases, in 2036 and 2040.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the two proposals were a “significant step towards unlocking growth, creating jobs, and delivering vital national infrastructure. We’ll consider the proposals carefully over the summer so that we can begin a review of the Airports National Policy Statement later this year,” she added.

BBC London’s political editor Karl Mercer said: “History has not been kind to plans to build a third runway, whoever has put them forward, and whichever colour government is in power. Having bidders interested is only half the battle - the hardest half will be getting it delivered.”

The local transport umbrella group, FLAME (Four Lanes Are More than Enough), which covers all Residents Associations in Runnymede, arranged a public meeting on 9th October to review reactions to the government’s update of the Airports National Policy Statement.

Invitation to the 9th October 2025 meeting

M25-widening Alert: A warning message from Chris Fisher, Chairman of FLAME

Dear Resident,

You may recall that 20-or so years ago several residents’ groups in Runnymede and Spelthorne were engaged in a campaign against so-called Link Roads, which would have effectively led to the M25 being widened to seven lanes each side between Junctions 12 (with the M3) and 15 (with the M4). This fight, which was spearheaded by the FLAME protest group and which enlisted the support of the two MPs whose constituencies then covered Runnymede borough, was largely successful.

The government led by John Major retreated and gave the go-ahead only for widening to five-lanes each side between J12 and J14, and dual-six lanes between J14 and J15 (alongside Heathrow). And after initially opposing this when in opposition, the new government of Tony Blair backed the revised scheme. Although it was never officially admitted it was clear to anyone closely following the issue that this change of mind was made to facilitate greater road access from the M25 to the proposed Terminal Five at Heathrow.

Since then, FLAME has maintained a low profile but has always kept a wary eye on the proposed Third Runway for Heathrow.

THIS IS BECAUSE WE BELIEVED IT TO BE INEVITABLE THAT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE THIRD RUNWAY WOULD RESULT IN FURTHER M25-WIDENING. AND THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN CONFIRMED BY HEATHROW.

In its published plans, which the government are currently reviewing, the airport has proposed yet more widening between J14 and J15 in addition to diverting the motorway in a tunnel under the new runway.

And would it really stop there? Some of us have lived locally long enough to remember a time when Heathrow said it had no plan to go beyond having four terminals. How can one believe a word it says? Now that the Starmer government has given the green light to the Third Runway scheme, this danger has to be faced up to urgently. So, there is a need for FLAME to burn brightly again. And this alert is basically an appeal to residents’ groups in Runnymede and beyond to re-gird your loins for another battle.

FLAME has started to get its act together. And it recently decided that such precautionary action was not merely wise but essential and that a public meeting should be held in October.

If you consider the idea of a yet-wider M25 completely unacceptable, please come to the meeting. Remember: all that is needed for such a nightmare to become a reality is for concerned people to do nothing.

The meeting will be on THURSDAY OCTOBER 9th, in the UNITED CHURCH, EGHAM HIGH STREET, starting at 7.15pm.

It will also be the FLAME AGM, and an entire team of new officers will be needed as all the existing ones, including me, are retiring.

It is time for a new generation of concerned people to step up to the plate to defend the character of the area from further ravages. If you believe this is a good and necessary cause, and you wish to play a leading part in it, please contact me at chrisfisher143@gmail.com.

Chris Fisher, Chairman, FLAME