Gatwick Airport will proceed with plans to build a second runway, after a legal challenge brought by local campaigners was dismissed in court.
The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign had been fighting the Department for Transport’s decision to approve the plans, arguing that the government had not properly assessed the climate impact of the scheme.
But the Court of Appeal has upheld an earlier High Court judgement that found the government’s approval process was lawful and that the legal grounds for appeal had no realistic prospect of success.
Gatwick was given permission to build a £2.2bn second runway in September last year. It will allow the airport to increase its flight capacity by around 100,000 a year.
While the airport already has an emergency Northern Runway that runs parallel to the main one, they cannot be used at the same time as they are too close. The approval will see the airport shift the runway 12 metres further away, which will allow both to operate simultaneously for departures...