The victory won by Mrs Marie Whitehead in her long compensation battle against Leeds-Bradford Airport is official recognition that commercial undertakings bear some responsibility when their developments blight ordinary people's lives.

The airport at Yeadon has always presented something of a dilemma. The region needs it to succeed, for both commercial and leisure purposes. Its extended runway, and the increased traffic and longer hours which followed, have been a boon to the area. The progress was necessary.

But progress does create victims as well as boosting prosperity and increasing convenience. In the case of Leeds-Bradford Airport, those who believe themselves to be victims include people who say their home is a less pleasant place to live and has lost value because it is now subjected to a greater noise nuisance than it was when they bought it.

The Lands Tribunal has now agreed with Mrs Whitehead that she is entitled to compensation and has awarded her a total of £6,000. Now other people living around the airport, encouraged by this precedent, might press their cases - although it is possible that their claims could be declared to be time-expired. Mrs Whitehead and her late husband began their battle 14 years ago, and theirs was the only claim made at the Lands Tribunal.

However, this "victory for the little people" is bound to provide food for thought for all those who find their quality of life, and the value of their biggest asset (their home) affected by a major development - be it a runway extension, a new by-pass, a factory or even a housing estate.

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