Campaigners ask permission to appeal Gatwick expansion decision
Campaigners opposing the expansion of Gatwick Airport have submitted an application to appeal a decision allowing a two-runway operation.
Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) said its chairman, Peter Barclay, filed the document to the Court of Appeal earlier after two High Court Challenges were dismissed on 23 June.
Anti-noise group Cagne and Barclay told a hearing in January the scheme was unlawful, claiming the government had not properly assessed climate impact with the plan.
In a ruling last week, Mr Justice Mould concluded the scheme would not "materially impact" the government's ability to meet net zero targets - a decision London Gatwick called a "victory for common sense".
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the airport's owner, Gatwick Airport Limited, had defended the challenge, with lawyers for the site claiming it was "unarguable".
The privately-financed project involves moving the current emergency runway 12 metres north, to bring it into regular use, as well as other developments, including extending the size of terminals.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said it noted the appeal and would "comment further when appropriate".
The GACC said its appeal would address "misinterpretation of government policy" and "fundamental flaws in Gatwick Airport's economic case".
It said the proposal for Gatwick would have "disastrous impacts on the local community in terms of noise, pollution and traffic congestion and on the wider world in terms of significant contributions to carbon emissions".
Alice Goodenough of Goodenough Ring Solicitors, Barclay's legal representatives, said: "This case has far-reaching implications for government policy and the recently announced consultation on revisions to the Airports National Policy Statement.
"It is imperative that policy is properly understood and applied when reaching decisions on airport expansion, particularly given the impacts of large-scale expansion decisions, such as at Gatwick."
The scheme is expected to increase Gatwick's capacity from about 280,000 flights a year currently, to 389,000 by the late 2030s.
Travel journalist Simon Calder said the expansion of Gatwick Airport was "the first meaningful airport expansion in decades".
"Certainly for the economy of the Gatwick area, and for travellers in south east England, this is nothing but an overwhelming positive," he added.
Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook,, external X, external and Instagram,, external and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.