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Local councils seek declaratory ruling on legality of Heathrow expansion

ENGLISH towns and boroughs of Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth, Windsor and Maidenhead in and around London are seeking a declaratory judgment from the High Court on the legality of Heathrow Airport's plans for a third runway.

The municipal councils claim the government was "unlawfully supporting the expansion" of London-Heathow airport.

The councils, together with Greenpeace, have made their legal appeal based on health and safety environmental concerns, reports London's Air Cargo News.

The group seeks a declaratory judgment after a judicial review of the government's decision to support the expansion of the airport.

Judicial review is a process by which the courts review the lawfulness of a decision made (or sometimes lack of a decision made) or action taken (or sometimes failure to act) by a public body.

It's a mechanism by which a judge considers whether a public body has acted in accordance with its legal obligations and if not, can declare it invalid.

Local councils argue that the government has "failed to recognise the project's unlawful air quality impacts and that the consultation held to make the decision was fundamentally flawed".

Said Hillingdon councillor Ray Puddifoot said: "The government has stubbornly refused to accept that it is breaking the law on the very important issue of air quality in relation to Heathrow.

"We also claim that the government has acted contrary to our legitimate expectation that it would honour its repeated promises not to expand Heathrow," he said.

Said Richmond Council leader Nicolas True: "We have given the government every opportunity to change their minds, to relook at the evidence that clearly shows expansion is not feasible. Instead they seem hell-bent on driving through an expansion that will create further havoc for the environment."

Said Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia: "We now know that air pollution is far more damaging to health and this expansion proposal is far bigger and more polluting than the last."