Heathrow judicial review submitted
A JUDICIAL review has been submitted to the High Court against plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Hillingdon Council has joined forces with the boroughs of Wandsworth, Richmond, Hammersmith & Fulham and The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to fight the plans which were passed through the House of Commons in June.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and pressure groups including Greenpeace are also behind the bid.
The partners’ lawyers will seek to persuade a High Court judge that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling unlawfully designated the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) under the Planning Act 2008, because it does not meet air quality and environmental standards, would destroy wildlife habitats and has been inadequately consulted on.
Leader of Hillingdon Council Ray Puddifoot has said for many years that the local authority would seek to block the plans as soon as the government attempted to pass them.
A similar High Court review led to previous plans for a third runway being defeated in 2010.
Councillor Puddifoot said last Monday (August 6): “Once again we have a government that is trying to avoid applying both the correct legal process and common sense to the question of airport expansion.
“The abject failure to address the far reaching consequences for both the environment and the health and wellbeing of tens of thousands of residents across London is simply not acceptable.”
Cllr Puddifoot continued: “This council is not prepared to stand back and allow this to happen without submitting the many flaws in this project to the rigorous scrutiny of the High Court and beyond, if necessary.
“I have confidence in the judicial process and am hopeful that, as with the previous judicial review challenge which was heard back in 2010, the court will expose the many failings of this ill-thought-through project”.