‘The noise is not so bad’

A homeowner who watches aircraft roar down the runway from his kitchen window has no problem living next to Europe’s busiest airport, saying the noise is not so bad. Harri Patel became Heathrow Airport’s closest neighbour when he and his young family decided to trade in their two bedroom house in the suburbs for one on the airport’s perimeter 23 years ago. 

The 63-year-old does not mind his noisy neighbour despite a constant stream of airliners, including Jumbo jets, landing or taking off throughout the day.

 He said: ‘I love this house. There is nothing difficult about living here.’ The father-of-two and his wife Josh, 60, fell in love with the end-of-terrace house just 300 yards from Heathrow’s Terminal Four because it was big enough for his family.