Legal Expert Says Government Has ‘Made Wrong Decision’

A planning expert from law firm Irwin Mitchell has said the Government has ‘made the wrong decision’ after a cabinet committee approved the expansion of Heathrow airport.

The BBC reported that ministers approved the decision at a meeting on Tuesday morning.

It is expected that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling will make an official statement to the House of Commons about 1300pm, today (Tuesday 25th October) but that the decision will face a lengthy consultation before it is finalised.

Whether the expansion would entail a new runway or an extension to an existing one, is also yet to be revealed.

Expert Opinion

“The Government has finally made an announcement favouring the expansion of Heathrow, so it’s one cheer for that. But it’s a one cheer announcement only, because they have made an announcement at last, after two decades of dithering.

“The decision will be subject to further political debate and probably a Judicial Review by West London local authorities. Action in the courts will ultimately be unsuccessful, but there will be inevitable delay and expense arising.

“Fundamentally the Government has made the wrong decision. Heathrow already has an unhealthy dominant position in the market, and promoting its further expansion will only exacerbate and consolidate that position. Going forward, Gatwick would have been a much better and cheaper option, and increasing runway capacity there would have increased instead of diminished competition.

“In the longer term, one runway will not be sufficient capacity for the South-East. As the Government will never have a better opportunity to take unpopular decisions, a more strategic approach would have been to allow Gatwick to expand now and Heathrow to start the longer process to build its runway as well. Then we could look forward to the runway capacity we need and the competition we deserve.

“What we are likely to get is a political row, litigation in the courts, and further delay.”
Carl Dyer - Partner