And people wonder why things take so long to get done in this country.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8588220.stm
Campaigners have won a High Court battle for further consultation into plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Councils, residents and green groups had said the government’s approval of the runway was flawed by “conspicuously unfair” public consultations.
The group argued that the expansion decision was at odds with the UK’s overall climate change targets.
The Department for Transport vowed to “robustly defend” the plan.
The coalition which sought the judicial review into the government’s decision to give the go-ahead for the expansion includes six local authorities, Greenpeace and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
The coalition said in a joint statement that the government’s Heathrow policy “is in tatters this morning” after Lord Justice Carnwath ruled the decision to give the third runway the green light was “untenable”.
The statement said: “If the government wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion it must now go back to square one and reconsider the entire case for the runway.”
Hayes and Harlington Labour MP John McDonnell, who has led the campaign against the expansion of Heathrow for the last 30 years, said: “In essence this judgment means that the game is up for a third runway at Heathrow and I am calling upon the government to accept the inevitable and lift this threat to my community.
“What we need now is a sensible approach to developing a sustainable transport policy based upon high-speed rail.”
By: Bograt - 26th March 2010 at 16:01
High speed rail’s all well and good, and I have used Eurostar to get to Paris a couple of times. Can’t fault it.
However, I am going to Provence later this year on holiday. Two return Eurostar/HGV tickets? £538 if you don’t mind, and that was one of the cheaper options. Until we get a better pricing structure, people are going to want to fly.
By: paulc - 26th March 2010 at 15:24
I would also image that those who protest about a new runway would certainly protest about a high speed rail line given how much more land a rail line takes up.
By: Red Hunter - 26th March 2010 at 13:32
Whilst the UK form of democracy takes full account of nimbyism it will always be inconvenient.
By: Grey Area - 26th March 2010 at 13:19
And people wonder why things take so long to get done in this country.
Yes, democracy can be so inconvenient at times.
By: frankvw - 26th March 2010 at 13:07
Yes, but it isn’t near their home…
As for Northolt, you have other airports around London… The issue here is transfers between the airports. As a business traveller don’t want to loose time going from one to another, the hassle of lugging my bags in a train / bus, or having to pay to be transferred between both airports..
By: paulc - 26th March 2010 at 11:35
Unless high speed rail goes as fast as an aircraft then it really is not viable as a replacement for medium/long haul flights. Also does he not realise that far more people would be effected (and possibly protest) by a series of high speed rail lines and I seriously doubt just how ‘sustainable’ it would be.
If LHR wants to expand why not get the RAF to sell Northolt and develop that as a short haul or maybe move UK domestic flights there.
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March 26, 2010 at 10:57 am