The Court of Appeal has refused campaigners permission to challenge the government’s approval of a two-runway operation at Gatwick Airport, clearing the way for the £2.2bn Northern Runway project to move into design and delivery.
Lord Justice Holgate and Lord Justice Dove dismissed the appeal bids in a ruling on Tuesday. In a 29-page judgment, they said: “We conclude that each of the grounds of appeal raised by each appellant is unarguable. Neither appeal has a real prospect of success. We also consider that there are no other compelling reasons for either appeal to be heard.”
The challenge was brought by Peter Barclay and campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne), who had taken legal action against the Department for Transport over the decision to approve the plans, including over claims that the government did not properly assess the climate impact of the scheme.
The scheme moves the West Sussex airport’s emergency runway 12m (39ft) north to allow 100,000 more flights a year. The development consent order for the Northern Runway project was granted by the Transport Secretary. The expansion will allow the site to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
Mr Justice Mould dismissed the original challenges in June, finding that it was “neither illogical nor contradictory” for Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander not to refuse the proposed development “on the basis that it would have a material impact on the ability of Government to meet its carbon reduction targets”. He also rejected an argument about the need for expansion at Gatwick given the proximity to Heathrow. The two senior judges said that ruling was “detailed and thorough”.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
