The Heathrow Community Engagement Board (HCEB) serves as an independent oversight body, established and funded by Heathrow Airport in accordance with Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act. The board’s primary function is to advocate for local community interests regarding both current airport operations and proposed future developments.
In 2019, Heathrow Airport initiated public consultations on a major expansion plan that included the construction of a third runway. This proposed development would span more than 25 years of construction, creating long-term impacts on surrounding communities that would extend well beyond the construction period itself.
The HCEB recognised that while employment opportunities were one potential benefit, the communities needed a more comprehensive approach to ensure their long-term prosperity alongside airport development. Their goal was to help local residents actively shape their communities’ futures rather than simply adapting to changes imposed by the airport’s expansion.
The communities surrounding Heathrow represent a complex tapestry of different cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic groups. This diversity presents unique challenges for community engagement, as conventional consultation methods often fail to reach or adequately represent certain segments of the population, particularly those who are less likely to participate in traditional public forums or feedback sessions. For example, working parents, elderly residents, or those for whom English is not their first language may face barriers to participating in standard town hall meetings or written surveys.
Temple was tasked with developing innovative community engagement approaches that would overcome these barriers and ensure more inclusive representation of diverse community voices in discussions about Heathrow’s expansion and its long-term impacts on local areas.
Temple worked with HCEB to design, build and manage a bespoke digital platform that encourages people to share their stories, ideas, concerns and aspirations. Rather than voting on pre-conceived ideas or assumptions, the platform is a tool to encourage participation and let communities develop their own vision for the future.
Temple worked with HCEB to:
Temple’s innovative approach to community engagement around Heathrow Airport expansion delivered significant value to the HCEB and the communities they represent.
By developing a bespoke digital platform, we created an accessible engagement tool that reached segments of the community traditionally excluded from consultation processes. Our platform’s design prioritised inclusivity, allowing diverse voices to contribute on their own terms rather than responding to predetermined questions, giving community members agency in shaping their future.
Our comprehensive digital strategy combined with expert guidance on community engagement and social value helped HCEB shift from a reactive position to a proactive one. Instead of simply responding to airport expansion plans, communities were empowered to articulate their own vision for sustainable development.
The performance indicators and evaluation scorecard we developed provided HCEB with concrete metrics to hold Heathrow Airport accountable for community commitments. This transformed abstract promises into measurable obligations, strengthening the community’s negotiating position.
Our research into construction best practices and case studies of other airport communities provided valuable insights that informed more effective advocacy strategies. This expanded HCEB’s knowledge base beyond local concerns to include successful models from similar developments globally.