Govt ordered to consult public again over Heathrow third runway
Govt ordered to consult public again over Heathrow third runway
Friday 26th March 2010
The government has been ordered to carry out another public consultation on controversial plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport.Campaigners against the runway are claiming today's High Court as a victory, calling the project now "dead".
A judge ruled on Friday the public consultation based on a 2003 white paper was invalid because it had been overtaken by events based on evidence about climate change.
While the decision has not killed the government plans it will now mean another lengthy consultation will be required before any action can be taken.
Responding to the news, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell, said: "In essence this judgment means that the game is up for a third runway at Heathrow and I am calling upon the government to accept the inevitable and lift this threat to my community.
"What we need now is a sensible approach to developing a sustainable transport policy based upon high-speed rail."
Conservative shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers, said the decision meant Labour's "flagship transport policy" was now in "complete disarray".
"This judgement is a damning indictment of Labour's wholly misguided support for a third runway. It is proof that they cannot be trusted to safeguard our environment and that the whole handling of this hugely important issue has been riddled with incompetence and duplicity. They must drop their support for a third runway now," she added.
"There will be a clear choice at the general election between five more years of Gordon Brown and his exhausted Labour government or change with the Conservatives who will stop this runway from being built. Today's news shows that the Conservatives made the right judgement and Labour got it wrong."
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