Buster the Bear
17th Jun 2004, 13:02
Herts Advertiser17 June 2004
PRESSURE groups have been given the go-ahead to challenge Government plans for airport expansion at Luton and Stansted Airports.
Both the Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (LADACAN) and Herts County Council are among organisations which have been given permission by the High Court for a judicial review of the proposals.
LADACAN's main objection to the Luton expansion bid is that the Government, despite repeated challenges during the year-long consultation period, refused to consult the public on the airport operator's plans to extend the existing runway.
This option was then introduced into the White Paper which proposed expanding Luton Airport to around 30-million passengers a year - the same as Stansted.
LADACAN's case against the Government also claims that alternatives to expansion at existing airports in the south east, which would expose fewer people on the ground to high levels of noise, were not adequately considered by the Government.
Richard Pilkington, chairman of LADACAN, said: "We are delighted that the court has agreed that the Government has a case to answer. We are looking forward to working with our partners and five local councils who have also been given permission to proceed.
Herts County Council leader Cllr Robert Ellis commented: "We have said from the word go that the White Paper is fundamentally flawed and the decision to allow us and other parties to seek judicial review indicates the Government has a case to answer."
He added: "Decisions are being made which pre-empt the established planning process. Our legal challenge will explore just how much local accountability remains in the UK planning process."
Hitchin and Harpenden MP Peter Lilley said: "I am delighted with this decision and congratulate local groups on helping secure this review.
"The case for judicial review is particularly strong in the case of Luton Airport because the Government proposal is different from those about which local people were consulted. It involves an even longer runway extending a kilometre into Herts. In addition there are no plans for improving the transport infrastructure needed for expansion on this scale to deal with the disgorging of 25 million people onto the already overcrowded roads of Herts.
http://whipsnade.co.uk/picturelibrary/jpeg150/br/brown_bear_120_wide.jpg
PRESSURE groups have been given the go-ahead to challenge Government plans for airport expansion at Luton and Stansted Airports.
Both the Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (LADACAN) and Herts County Council are among organisations which have been given permission by the High Court for a judicial review of the proposals.
LADACAN's main objection to the Luton expansion bid is that the Government, despite repeated challenges during the year-long consultation period, refused to consult the public on the airport operator's plans to extend the existing runway.
This option was then introduced into the White Paper which proposed expanding Luton Airport to around 30-million passengers a year - the same as Stansted.
LADACAN's case against the Government also claims that alternatives to expansion at existing airports in the south east, which would expose fewer people on the ground to high levels of noise, were not adequately considered by the Government.
Richard Pilkington, chairman of LADACAN, said: "We are delighted that the court has agreed that the Government has a case to answer. We are looking forward to working with our partners and five local councils who have also been given permission to proceed.
Herts County Council leader Cllr Robert Ellis commented: "We have said from the word go that the White Paper is fundamentally flawed and the decision to allow us and other parties to seek judicial review indicates the Government has a case to answer."
He added: "Decisions are being made which pre-empt the established planning process. Our legal challenge will explore just how much local accountability remains in the UK planning process."
Hitchin and Harpenden MP Peter Lilley said: "I am delighted with this decision and congratulate local groups on helping secure this review.
"The case for judicial review is particularly strong in the case of Luton Airport because the Government proposal is different from those about which local people were consulted. It involves an even longer runway extending a kilometre into Herts. In addition there are no plans for improving the transport infrastructure needed for expansion on this scale to deal with the disgorging of 25 million people onto the already overcrowded roads of Herts.
http://whipsnade.co.uk/picturelibrary/jpeg150/br/brown_bear_120_wide.jpg