Campaign update

Campaigners celebrate High Court's decision on Heathrow expansion plans, 26 March 2010.
Photo: © Clay/Greenpeace

Heathrow airport expansion
CPRE has succeeded in a legal challenge against the Government's January 2009 decision to green light a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow.  

> News release: Government’s Heathrow Expansion Plans In Tatters As Judge Slams Runway Policy

> Copy of the Heathrow judgment - provided by the British and Irish Legal Information Institute  

The legal challenge was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in February 2010 and was brought by a wide coalition of green groups, London councils and local residents. Judgment was given on 26 March 2010.

The coalition’s lawyers had claimed in court that the consultation process was fundamentally flawed and that the decision to expand Heathrow is at odds with the UK’s overall climate change targets. During the hearing the Government made important concessions in a last minute bid to bolster its case.

Proceeding with the third runway would destroy not just a village and a large swathe of Green Belt but also tranquillity over a much wider area. Countryside, parks and gardens in and beyond north and west London would fall under the shadow of new flight paths and the din of thousands of extra flights.

Find out more
> Summary of the legal case (pdf)

> Our initial briefing on the Heathrow judgment

Transport Select Committe inquiry into the use of airspace

CPRE gave evidence to a major parliamentary inquiry into the use of airspace. The inquiry's report, which was published in July 2009, cited our research on tranquillity and adopted our call to limit flights over sensitive areas such as National Parks as one of its key recommendations. We are now working with the Civil Aviation Authority to improve ways of measuring  the impact of flights in tranquil areas.

> Evidence to the Transport Select Committee inquiry into the use of airspace

Stansted airport expansion

A public inquiry was held in 2008 into increasing the cap on passenger numbers at Stansted by 10 million. Local objections that the increase in flights would increase unacceptably both greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution were ignored: the planning inspector decided that he could not consider these issues in case he frustrated the Government’s policy to expand the airport. 

CPRE supported the appeal of this decision. Although this appeal was lost, a downturn in the airport's fortunes has meant that passenger numbers have dropped rather than increased. Plans for a second runway have been put back as a result.

Find out more
> Stop Stansted Expansion website

CPRE says no to flights which shatter tranquillity

CPRE objected strongly to the proposals for changes to airspace in the Terminal Control North region. These would have affected the parts of the Chilterns, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex and Hertfordshire, threatening previously tranquil rural areas.

After a successful campaign, in February 2009 the National Air Traffic Service withdrew its proposals and undertook to begin a fresh round of consultation on airspace changes. Because of the downturn in flights, no new consultation has taken place.

> Our response to 2010 consultation on regulation of airspace (pdf)

Local airports

Our local branches have been opposing aviation expansion across the country, including at Bristol, Coventry, Southend and East Midlands Airport.

> CPRE's network of local groups

> View our interactive map of UK airports, their expansion plans and local opposition