Battle begins to halt Heathrow expansion

A legal challenge to Government plans for airport expansion at Heathrow begins in the High Court next month. The judicial review has been brought by a coalition of local authorities and community campaign groups representing Heathrow, Stansted and Luton.

The claimants, led by the boroughs of Wandsworth and Hillingdon, will argue that an airports White Paper published in December 2003 was unlawful. It called for a third runway at Heathrow to be built in 2015, following the completion of a second runway at Stansted in 2011.

The review, beginning on 13 December, will be told that ministers knew the Stansted runway would not be financially viable, as the no-frills airlines that use the airport would not pay increased charges for construction.

It will also be alleged that the Government knows that long-haul carriers will

not move from Heathrow and that the airport would continue to face unrelenting demands for extra capacity.

The objectors say that even before a third runway is built, ministers will be pressed to increase flight numbers by allowing both existing runways to be used for both take-off and landings.

Wandsworth council leader Edward Lister said: "The truth is that Stansted is a red herring. All roads - and flights - lead to Heathrow, because that is what the airlines want.

"Our challenge goes to the heart of the Government's intentions. The stakes could not be higher. If we win, the Government will have to rethink its entire approach to airport expansion."