R4U supports High Court challenge by Uttlesford District Council to prevent ‘climate killing’ Stansted Airport expansion

Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) has supported Uttlesford District Council’s decision to seek High Court action to challenge the Stansted Airport expansion appeal decisions.

John Lodge (R4U) John Lodge (R4U)

R4U’s Cllr John Lodge, who is Leader of Uttlesford District Council, said “The UDC officer and legal team believe that they have grounds to mount a High Court challenge to the proposed Stansted Airport expansion. We are hopeful that the courts will grant permission to quash the government Planning Inspectors’ decisions. In addition as Leader of the Council I have written to the Secretaries of State for Communities and Transport to provide the legal basis on which they can intervene to revoke the permission and urge that they do so.”

Cllr Lodge continued “Respected environmental campaigners such as Sir David Attenborough have made it clear we must all act on Climate Change to protect our planet. Uttlesford District Council is not alone in trying to deal with these complex issues. Local authorities in Southampton, Bristol and other parts of the country are all trying to force their local commercial airport operators to meet their environmental obligations.”

Dan Starr (R4U Chair) Dan Starr (R4U Chair)

R4U party chair Dan Starr added “We fully back a High Court challenge. In our manifesto we promised to ‘take action on climate change’ and committed to ‘striking a fairer deal with Stansted Airport’ to balance employment with their responsibilities to the environment and surrounding villages. Analysis has shown that in terms of emissions this expansion would be the equivalent of putting a climate-killing 1.8m cars on the roads. The airport is not a public service; it is a for-profit commercial business and has corporate responsibilities. It is a good local employer that can provide more local jobs without expanding. Any further expansion must be halted until it can show it meets its environmental obligations under the UK’s new 6th Carbon Budget law. That requires emissions to be reduced to below 1990 levels.”

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