Southampton Airport runway expansion will go ahead

Plans to extend the runway at an airport will go ahead as an attempt to appeal a court's decision has failed.

The Court of Appeal has upheld Eastleigh Borough Council's decision to approve plans for the expansion of the Southampton Airport's runway by 164m (538ft).

The scheme was approved in April 2021 but campaigners claimed permission was "unlawfully granted".

They called for a judicial review but their latest attempt has failed.

This marks the end of the legal challenge routes that could possibly be pursued against the plans, campaigners confirmed.

Group Opposed to the Expansion of Southampton Airport (GOESA) Ltd had a claim for a judicial review dismissed last October but an appeal against that was accepted in December.

In May 2022 a High Court judge declined the group's claim for a judicial review, but campaigners subsequently submitted a formal application to the court asking for permission to appeal the latest judgement.

However, the court confirmed that the permission to appeal was refused by Lady Justice Andrews on Monday.

In a statement Southampton Airport said: "As a result, there can be no further challenge to the legality of the borough council's decision on our runway extension - and Southampton Airport can begin to plan for the delivery of the scheme."

The airport said it would keep residents and stakeholders up to date with "details of the likely construction timescale".

GOESA Ltd previously accused the council of formally approving the plans before the government had chosen whether to "call in" the decision.

The council has always defended its action and said the government had been kept informed.

GOESA Ltd said the proposed increase in the number of passengers flying from the city in the coming years was "impossible to reconcile with the urgent need to tackle the climate change crisis".

Following the latest court's decision, the group said: "It is a deeply disappointing outcome for the thousands of people who will be adversely affected by the increase in noise and disturbance from the larger noisier planes that Southampton Airport hopes to attract through its expansion plans."

The airport previously said its existing runway was "one of the shortest in the UK" and inhibited the use of larger planes, such as Airbus 320 and Boeing 737.

It said the runway expansion would protect jobs and generate an extra £240m for the local economy by 2037.

But campaigners objected on the grounds of climate change and noise, after planning documents revealed that the number of people affected by noise would go from 11,450 in 2020 to 46,050 in 2033, if the expansion went ahead.

The airport has pledged to mitigate the concerns raised.

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