HEATHROW bosses have decided to postpone their application for work which will enable scheduled take-offs over Cranford.

Airport owner BAA revealed this week it will wait for the results of the ongoing Operational Freedoms trial before submitting an application for the necessary work to taxiways.

The Cranford Agreement, which prevented planes taking off to the east from Heathrow’s northern runway, was scrapped in January 2009 after nearly 60 years.

However, before planes can routinely take off over Cranford, extensive work to taxiways at the airport, which requires planning permission from Hillingdon Council, must be completed.

Even if approval were granted today, BAA has said the work would be unlikely to be finished before 2015. BAA chiefs decided to wait at least until ongoing trials, which allow planes to take off or land simultaneously at both runways, finish at the end of September next year before submitting an application.

The company said it feared applying now could ‘lead to confusion’ among neighbouring residents about the difference between the trial and the taxiway work. It also said the trial, which will mean some planes taking off over Cranford, would allow it to monitor noise levels in the area.

John Stewart, chairman of anti-expansion campaign group HACAN, said: “This probably makes sense. There’s no question that submitting a planning application now would cause confusion.”