Thursday, 17 June 2010

London City Airport Expansion Faces Judicial Review

Source: Flickr
In late May and early June, activists from the Plane Stupid campaign were busy planting 'Newham Council - For Sale' signs around the borough, in continuing protests against last year's decision by the council to green light the expansion of London City Airport from 91,000 to 120,000 flights a year.

This week, the Newham Recorder has briefly reported that a judicial review of the council's decision is due to take place at the Royal Court of Justice in November, with a decision by January 2011. Local group Fight the Flights, which has raised the funds for the legal challenge, accuses the council of failing to consider changing government policy on climate change or to consult both neighbouring boroughs and residents on the possible impact of increased aircraft movements. Councils in Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Bexley and Barking & Dagenham are supporting a High Court challenge.

The legal action makes a mockery of London Mayor Boris Johnson's recently announced Green Enterprise District in east London and his pledge to make London a "global leader in the low carbon economy". Low carbon? How can having an rapidly expanding airport literally next door to the proposed Siemens Pavilion, "a permanent showcase for sustainable technologies" at the heart of the district, represent a commitment to carbon reduction - and how will the 100,000 visitors the pavilion is expected to receive every year or the school groups dropping in on educational trips be able to hear a damn thing above the roar of jet engines?

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I really feel let down by Newham Council and local politicians.

They should have been there to protect local residents from increase in aircraft noise. You can see the aircraft that coming in and out of London City Airport are much larger the ones that previously operated. Larger aircraft mean more noise.

Robin Wales warned local residents about the Torys, but at least they cancelled expansion at Heathrow and Standstead airport.

Anonymous said...

Plane should be credit for twarting the efforts of Reb Bull to build a second runway opposite London City Airport. It had the hand of London City Airport behind it (though it denies it). A nice back handed way of getting a second runway build, by claiming it is for the Red Bull air race. Is it a coincidence that the same Planning Agent that put throught the London City Airport expansion was used by Red Bull?.

Check out the funny photos!
http://www.planestupid.com/blogs/2010/04/26/plane-stupid-targets-red-bull-shit

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