Councils opposed to the decision to add a third runway to Heathrow Airport are to launch a legal appeal against the move.
The 2M group, which represents 23 local authorities, will apply to the High Court for a judicial review of the government’s approval of the runway. Their case is being supported by London Major Boris Johnson, Greenpeace and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
The group, which includes the London boroughs of Camden, Ealing, Greenwich and Harrow, believes the government has failed to acknowledge or assess the full impact of the expansion.
If permission for a review is granted, there would not be a hearing until early 2010.
Hillingdon Council leader Ray Puddifoot, speaking on behalf of 2M said: “The number of organisations backing this challenge is unprecedented. It shows that just about everyone other than Geoff Hoon thinks the Government has got this wrong.”
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