A Richmond resident has come out in support of Heathrow’s expansion, as part of the Back Heathrow campaign group.

Back Heathrow campaigner and Kew resident, Fiona Sadek, has stated her support for building a third runway at Heathrow airport.

Councillors in Richmond, Hillingdon, Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham have continued to oppose the expansion and have launched a judicial review challenging the decision.

The coalition formally notified Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of their intentions to launch the legal challenge, which is also supported by London mayor Sadiq Khan and Greenpeace.

In response to the legal challenge Fiona said: “It would be interesting to see where the council are getting the money from for the judicial review. They are no return cases and I would like to know where the money is coming from.

“If it is tax payer’s money, like I suspect, then they should instead be investing that in services we need in the borough, such as education.”

Fiona, who lives under the flight path, added: “The expansion will create more jobs in the area, Richmond is so close to the airport and many residents from the area work there. The expansion will create more jobs, especially for young people who might not want to go to university.

“Aeroplanes are getting quieter and so are cars, the argument of increased noise in the area will be lessened.”

MPs voted for the expansion in June and several residents came out in opposition to the news.

Karan Taylor, a nearby resident, said: “They have no interest or concern for the local community or increased flight tickets. 800 houses will be knocked down to build the runway.

“Many of these houses are in historic villages. The chances of a plane crash in a densely populated area will also be hiked dramatically. And to top it all, they are going to have to close parts of the UK’s busiest motorway to build the new runway – the M25. It really is madness."

Back Heathrow claims on its website the plans will create 180,000 jobs nationwide and 10,000 apprenticeships. The expansion could also bring £1,878 billion worth of economic benefits.

Back Heathrow executive director, Parmjit Dhanda, says: "I’m proud to represent over 100,000 local people who want to see a bigger, better and more sustainable Heathrow.

“Residents understand how important Heathrow is for the local economy, not just for those who work directly at the airport, but also those who work in the surrounding area or in the supply chain."