oops hes done it again....
Fears ignoring recommendations on new runway’s impact could imperil development High Court is to consider a judicial review of government’s decision to support the £14bn Heathrow extension
The UK government has largely ignored recommendations from a key parliamentary committee about Heathrow airport’s third runway scheme, the committee’s chair has said, making it much more likely that courts will strike down the project. Lilian Greenwood, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons transport select committee, said transport secretary Chris Grayling “gave the impression that 24 of our 25 recommendations had been accepted”, but said his comments were just “rhetoric”. “The reality was that only two or three of our recommendations were actually accepted,” she said. “I suppose at best you could say that the government said they agreed with the spirit of our recommendations and would ensure those matters were dealt with in the [planning] process.” The committee’s recommendations for Heathrow expansion included adopting stricter air-quality standards, setting a binding target to prevent more airport-related traffic and defining noise-pollution limits. Later this year, the High Court will consider a judicial review against the government’s decision to support the £14bn Heathrow project. The judicial review has been brought by five local councils, with the backing of Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, and Greenpeace, the environmental campaigning organisation. The councils are challenging the decision on the grounds of air quality, climate change, noise pollution and transport access. Ms Greenwood said that if the courts overturned the government’s decision, it would “make the economic case on which Heathrow expansion is predicated less favourable” and mean “even greater extended uncertainty” for local communities. Ms Greenwood’s committee has also been investigating the failure of the East Coast mainline franchise. In May, the government stripped the franchise from Virgin and Stagecoach. It has also been looking into the disastrous introduction of new timetables in May, which has led to thousands of cancelled services and months of disruption. Ms Greenwood criticised Mr Grayling over both affairs.