Newham council is being taken to court by local campaigners after giving the go-ahead to a massive increase in flights from London City Airport.
Campaigners claim Newham Council failed to consult both residents and neighburing local authorities over the decision or take account of the Government’s commitment to reducing aviation emissions to below 2005 levels by 2050.
They say the decision, made in October 2008, was a 'complete fiasco' with huge numbers of residents who will be affected not being notified of the planning application. Local residents say noise levels have already increased dramatically with 90 per cent of flights now being jets.
'Expanding the airport would increase climate changing emissions as well as adding to breaches of air pollution limits and worsening noise disturbance locally,' said Friends of the Earth’s London Campaigner Jenny Bates.
'London is not on track to meet either its own climate change targets or EU legal air quality limits – we should be developing plans that improve the situation, not make it worse.'
Fight the Flights chair Anne-Marie Griffin said the court hearing, which takes place over the next two days, will give people not consulted a 'chance of justice'.
Useful links
Flight the Flights campaign website
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