'The project is now dead': Reaction as Heathrow third runway is ruled unlawful

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Thursday 27 February 2020 at 10:49am

Campaigners have won a Court of Appeal ruling over controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport on environmental grounds.

Ray Puddifoot, leader of Hillingdon Council

Hillingdon Council has been fighting against Heathrow expansion for the past 20 years and was part of a coalition that defeated the Labour government's expansion plan 10 years ago and I am delighted that the Court of Appeal has today ruled that the Airports National Policy Statement designated by the Government in June 2018 is unlawful. Our residents have had to live for far too long with the possibility of homes and communities being destroyed and the detrimental consequences to their health and the environment caused by the proposed expansion. The current Government has a firm commitment to dealing positively with climate change issues and to equalising economic growth across the country and given that Heathrow expansion would damage both, I am pleased that the Government has decided not to appeal the court's decision. Hopefully the Government will, in the near future, announce that Heathrow expansion is off the agenda once and for all.

John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor

Nadine Houghton, national officer of the GMB union

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

Paul McGuinness, chairs the No 3rd Runway Coalition

John Stewart, chair of anti-expansion group Hacan

Tanya Steele, chief executive of the WWF

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK

Gareth Roberts, leader of Richmond Council

This judgment is nothing short of a victory. It leaves the Government's airports policy in tatters. It surely must be the final nail in the coffin for Heathrow's attempts to steamroll over local and national opposition to their disastrous third runway plans. The expansion of Heathrow would be catastrophe for our climate and environment and for the thousands of Londoners who would be forced to live with the huge disruption it will cause. If the Government wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion, it must now go back and revisit its own airports policy. Rather than the Government attempting to battle on, I hope that they will now take a minute and realise that the only way forward is for them to focus their efforts into developing a sustainable transport policy that puts the health of residents and the environment front and centre of a proposal.

Will Rundle, head of legal at Friends of the Earth

Cait Hewitt, Aviation Environment Federation deputy director

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK