Anti-Gatwick expansion campaigners prepare for High Court showdown

Opponents against the opening of a second runway at Gatwick are gearing up for a High Court legal challenge this week.

The judicial review claim is being brought by Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) opposing transport secretary Heidi Alexander’s decision to grant development consent for the project.  

The four-day hearing is scheduled to be heard from Tuesday with the local residents’ group claiming that the climate change impact of the extra runway have not been properly assessed.  

The planned £2.2 billion expansion would see the repurposing of Gatwick’s emergency runway for use as a second operational runway.

The extra capacity is expected to lead to more than 100,000 more flights a year

Plans for the project to bring the airport’s standby runway into full use by moving it 12 metres to allow for more flights were submitted in July 2023 and following an examination period and granted development consent last September.  

Cagne chair Sally Pavey said: “The transport secretary seems to have taken a rose-tinted view of this planning application whilst the planning inspectorates recommended refusal. 

“It is unrealistic to expect local authorities, and the taxpayer, to continue to meet the infrastructure costs of airport expansion and the loss of wellbeing due to ever increasing noise. 

"Gatwick exports sterling out of the UK purse for leisure whilst endangering the planet further by ignoring the lack of accurate decarbonising by this sector. 

“Cagne is proud to represent residents of Sussex, Surrey, Kent and beyond in calling for this application for a new runway to be overruled.” 

Solicitor Julia Eriksen of law firm Leigh Day, who represents the group, said: “The addition of a second operating runway at Gatwick airport will inevitably have substantial climate impacts, the assessment of which our client, Cagne, argues is legally flawed. 

“The group will argue that development consent for the expansion should not have been granted, given what they feel are a number of gaps in the planning application and assessment of environmental effects.”

A Gatwick spokesperson said: "After a lengthy and rigorous planning process, during which all aspects of the northern runway project have been scrutinised and carefully considered, the secretary of state for transport approved our plans on 21 September 2025.

"We are aware a claim for judicial review has been lodged in the High Court against the decision, with hearings set to begin on Tuesday 20th January. 

"We intend to participate in the proceedings as an interested party. However, while legal proceedings are in progress it would not be appropriate to comment any further."