Local residents have launched a legal challenge against Gatwick’s plans for a new second runway.
The Communities against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE) campaign group is seeking to take the Government to the High Court over its backing for expanding the number of flights at the airport in London’s commuter belt.
Leigh Day solicitor Julia Eriksen, who represents CAGNE, said: “The impact of a second runway at Gatwick Airport will undoubtedly be significant, and a thorough evaluation of the effects of this on the environment should be a key part of any proposal.
“However, our client says that the environmental impact has not been properly assessed, and that development consent has been granted despite a number of flaws in the planning application.
“After calling on the Transport Secretary to revoke development consent in a pre-action letter, CAGNE is now pursuing a judicial review challenge.”
The proposal for London Gatwick, Europe’s busiest single-runway airport, involves transforming its back-up runway into a runway for far wider use.
It would have to be moved 12 metres to the north, away from the main runway, to meet strict aviation safety rules under the £2.2bn privately-financed expansion project.
The airport says the new runway could mean more than 100,000 extra flights per year by the late 2030s, with passenger numbers rising to up to 80 million.
The Government approved the development in 2025, following a year-long examination period.
The expansion scheme also includes remodelling and replacing existing taxiways, which connect runways to terminals, hangars and other facilities, extending both terminals, and installing new aircraft gates.
CAGNE argues that the impact of the expansion on climate change has not been properly assessed, and so development consent should not have been granted.
The group’s chair Sally Pavey said: “It is absolutely shameful that residents are forced to take legal action to hold a Government to account.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says that airports in the UK can be expanded without breaching climate change laws by greater use of sustainable aviation fuel.
She has also backed a third runway at Heathrow airport as she seeks economic growth for Britain.
She says the development which could cost £49 billion would deliver huge economic benefits to the capital and other regions.
Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband, though, has stressed that airport expansion can only happen within Britain’s legally-binding net zero climate change commitments.
An analysis by an academic at Bath University suggested that a third runway would increase global warming emissions from Heathrow by around 30 per cent.
Another runway at the west London airport could see the number of flights rise from 480,000 to 720,000 a year which would cause more noise pollution for tens of thousands of people in the capital.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has vowed to oppose a bigger Heathrow.
Expanding Gatwick, rather than Heathrow, would affect far fewer people, though the Government supports more flights at both airports.
