Campaigners have been refused permission to continue their legal challenge against plans to expand Gatwick Airport in West Sussex.
Campaigners have been refused permission to continue their legal challenge against plans to expand Gatwick Airport in West Sussex.
Court of Appeal judges have rejected applications from local resident Peter Barclay and Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions, known as CAGNE, to appeal against an earlier High Court ruling.
The campaigners had challenged the Government’s decision to approve Gatwick’s Northern Runway project, raising concerns including the way the scheme’s potential climate effects had been assessed.
Mr Justice Mould dismissed their legal challenges in June, finding that the Transport Secretary’s decision to approve the development was lawful.
Mr Barclay and CAGNE then asked the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge that ruling.
However, Lord Justice Holgate and Lord Justice Dove rejected their applications on Tuesday, August 4.
In their ruling, the judges said each of the proposed grounds of appeal was unarguable and that neither case had a realistic prospect of succeeding.
They also described the earlier High Court judgment as detailed and thorough.
What does Gatwick’s expansion involve?
The £2.2 billion project would bring Gatwick’s existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside its main runway.
The Northern Runway is currently used as a standby when the main runway is unavailable.
It would be moved 12 metres further north, allowing it to be used regularly by departing narrow-bodied aircraft, including planes such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.
The wider project also includes changes to taxiways, terminals and aircraft gates.
Gatwick says the development could provide capacity for up to 100,000 additional flights and around 13 million more passengers a year.
Campaigners disappointed
Following the court’s decision, Mr Barclay said he was very disappointed.
He said the challenge had been pursued because campaigners believed the decision to allow Gatwick to expand was fundamentally flawed and would come at the expense of local residents and the climate.
CAGNE said residents should be proud of their efforts to hold the airport’s owners to account.
The group maintains that the expansion will have significant environmental and financial consequences.
Airport welcomes decision
Gatwick Airport chief executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit said the original decision to approve the development had been made properly and lawfully.
He said the latest ruling brought an eight-year planning and legal process to an end and meant the airport could move forward with the design and delivery of the project.
Gatwick estimates the Northern Runway scheme could create 14,000 jobs and contribute an additional £1 billion to the economy each year.
Those economic figures are estimates provided by the airport and have been questioned by opponents of the expansion.
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