A coalition of local four authorities, the mayor of London and environmental charity Greenpeace have confirmed they will begin legal action if the government formally designates the key policy document intended to support the expansion of Heathrow airport, following its approval by Parliament on 25th June.
Ravi Govindia, the leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “Heathrow already makes life intolerable for people of all sides of the airport. The government should be reducing noise for the communities affected but instead it is making it worse.”
Gareth Roberts, the leader of Richmond Council, added: “The councils have pointed out repeatedly that Heathrow contributes to illegal and lethal air pollution.
“We will fight this proposal through the courts and we will win because the alternative is to condemn thousands of people to premature deaths from dangerous levels of air pollution.”
Govindia said that, if ministers now formally designate the NPS, “we will move quickly to bring this case before the courts. It cannot survive independent, lawful and rational scrutiny.”
A statement from Heathrow airport said that it expected the transport secretary to designate the NPS in the “coming days”.
The airport said it is currently preparing to hold a second public consultation on its plans before submitting a development consent order application to the Planning Inspectorate, “kick-starting an approval process expected to take 18 months”.
If Heathrow is granted development consent, it said that construction would begin in 2021 ahead of the new runway opening in 2026.
Article originally appeared on Planning Resource
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