What will happen to Stanwell Moor in 2018?

Nothing. Or everything.

21/12/2017 | By Staff | Comments: 0

2017 and the past few years have not been kind to the sweet, nice village that is Stanwell Moor. We lost buses, we used to have free connections to Heathrow Airport, our important and whingeing neighbour. We recently lost Vermeulens, the garden centre, one of the few reasons people used to come to Stanwell Moor and maybe spend a few pounds at the Portuguese cafe or at The Anchor, our local pub. We saw Heathrow Airport's marketing department use an Italian one-runway airport (Caselle, Turin's airport) to show how to live next to a multi-runway airport. Bloody hell, are you pulling my leg, mate?
So what can we expect from 2018? I have no idea, I'm not a clairvoyant, but this is what I hope we, the people of Stanwell Moor, will get in 2018:

1) A free transport solution to reach Heathrow's Terminal 5. T5 is closer than Staines, yet it is not easy or cheap to reach. Wouldn't you like to be able to shop at M&S or dine at Carluccio's and NOT having to walk home on muddy paths with no illumination?

2) Cash from Heathrow for those who sell their homes. Always nice.

3) New businesses. It's always a good sign.

4) More locals (and visitors) patronising local businesses. The pub, the post office, Polash Tandoori, Tantasia, the store: if we don't shop there, we should not complain when they will move their business elsewhere.

5) More police presence.

6) More jobs (well, ANY job) for specialists at Heathrow. There never seem to be any openings for IT professionals, for instance.

7) Better cycle routes between Stanwell Moor and Staines-upon-Thames. The path along the reservoir is decrepit and overrun by grass (and there's a No Cycling sign at its entrance in Staines).

8) A stronger sense of community. And this is something only we can build.

Merry Christmas!