Statutory blight and Heathrow expansion
Updated 27 March 2025
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What is blight?
Blight typically describes the situation when the value of your property is reduced due to a proposed large scale, or major development close to your home. It can make it difficult to sell your home, business premises or agricultural land at market value and might mean you have to sell at a much lower price.
However, by law (Town and Country Planning Act 1990), when your property falls within land identified in a national policy statement as suitable (or potentially suitable) for development, the appropriate authority can be asked to buy your home from you for a fair price. This is called statutory blight.
Blight and Heathrow expansion
The Secretary of State for Transport designated the Airports National Policy Statement (Airports NPS) on 26 June 2018.
As a result, if you own land in the location identified within the red line boundary in Annex A of the Airports NPS (PDF, 8MB), you may now be eligible to serve a statutory blight notice, claiming that the Secretary of State for Transport should buy your property.
If the blight notice is valid, the Secretary of State for Transport may be required to buy your property at fair market value together with a loss payment, under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. You may also be entitled to payment of stamp duty, legal and conveyancing fees, and reasonable moving costs.
The Secretary of State for Transport has agreed with Heathrow Airport Limited that it will manage the blight claims process and meet the cost of purchasing property, pursuant to a valid blight notice, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport.
Further details on how to make a claim for blight are set out below.
Other property offers
If you are thinking of serving a blight notice, you should consider the nature and timing of other property offers from Heathrow Airport Limited associated with expansion of the airport. You may find these more suitable depending on your circumstances.
Heathrow Airport Limited has established an Interim property hardship scheme (PDF, 5.4MB) for those with a compelling reason to move, but who are unable to sell their property except at a substantially reduced price.
If you own property that falls within the red line boundary shown in Annex A of the Airports NPS (PDF, 8MB) and if you meet the criteria under the scheme, Heathrow Airport Limited will purchase your property at the unaffected market value with a 25% home loss payment, stamp duty costs for an equivalent value property and reasonable legal and moving fees.
For property owners outside the red line boundary shown in Annex A of the Airports NPS (PDF, 8MB) who meet the relevant eligibility criteria, Heathrow Airport Limited will purchase your property at the unaffected market value.
Owner-occupiers of properties within the area marked in Annex A of the Airports NPS (PDF, 8MB) may be eligible for Heathrow Airport Limited’s enhanced compensation offer. This is an offer whereby Heathrow Airport Limited would commit to buy eligible properties at 125% of the unaffected market value (plus reasonable costs) once it receives development consent to build the new runway and confirms its intention to carry out the development.
Heathrow Airport Limited’s enhanced compensation offer may also be available to property owners falling within a wider property offer zone set out in the current interim policies.
See Heathrow Airport Limited’s property schemes for more information.
Blight notices
To be eligible to claim blight you must meet the following 3 criteria:
- Your property must be within the red line boundary shown in Annex A of the Airports NPS (PDF, 8MB).
- You must own the property, either as:
- a residential owner who has occupied the property for at least 6 months
- an owner occupier of a business premises with a rateable value not exceeding £44,200 per annum
- an owner occupier of an agricultural unit or part of an agricultural unit
- a mortgage lender who has a right to sell the property and who can secure immediate possession
- a personal representative of a deceased person who, as of the date of their death, would have been eligible to serve a blight notice
- You must have made reasonable efforts to sell the property, but as a result of the property being identified in the Airports NPS, you have been unable to sell it except at a price substantially lower than its unaffected market value.
If you are thinking of serving a blight notice you should seek independent legal advice, noting that any legal advice sought will be at your own cost. There are legal requirements in terms of what to include in a blight notice and how it must be served (formally sent).
A blight notice must be set out in a Town and Country Planning Act 1990 blight notice prescribed form (ODT, 21KB).
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) operates a contact centre which can refer you to a firm in your area that is willing to provide 30 minutes’ free advice on your circumstances. RICS consumer helpline number is: 0247 686 8555.
Secretary of State for Transport
You must submit your blight notice to the Secretary of State for Transport by sending the completed blight notice to:
Statutory Blight
Airport Policy Division
Department for Transport
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 4DR
Alternatively, you can email your blight notice or ask any queries relating to blight notices to: blight.enquiries@dft.gov.uk.
The blight enquiries mailbox’s function is to guide general enquiries relating to the blight process. DfT is not able to provide any advice or opinion relating to your individual blight application.
Heathrow Airport
In addition to serving your blight notice on the Secretary of State for Transport, you can send a copy of the completed blight notice to:
Gavin Wilson
Head of Property
Heathrow Airport Limited
The Compass Centre
Nelson Road
Hounslow
Middlesex TW6 2GW
Alternatively, you can email: gavin.wilson@heathrow.com.
You should also note that if Heathrow Airport Limited makes an application for an order granting development consent, it will additionally become liable from that date for any valid blight notices served in relation to any other land outside the area shown within the red line in Annex A of the Airports NPS (PDF, 8MB) that is required as part of its proposed development.
As part of your application, you will be asked to provide personal data. How the personal data will be used, shared and kept safe is in our data statement (PDF, 274KB). This is separate and in addition to the DfT personal data assurance policy.
More information
Additionally, Heathrow Airport Limited has produced an information sheet, which includes details on the blight notice procedure, who may be eligible and what they are likely to receive.