Six local authorities, including the Mayor of London, have already given notice of their intent to seek a judicial review of the government’s airports national policy statement (NPS) that supports a third Heathrow runway.
Now lawyers acting for rival group Heathrow Hub have filed papers at the High Court in London. Heathrow Hub is an organisation led by former Arup economist Mark Bostock and transport planner Steven Costello, among others. It wants to expand Heathrow Airport via an extension to the Northern Runway rather than by building a third runway.
It has filed papers seeking permission to judicially review the decision by secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling, to designate the NPS, which gives approval to Heathrow Airport Ltd’s northwest runway plan.
It is Heathrow Hub’s belief that the process run by the Department for Transport, which began when it set up the Airports Commission in 2013 and culminated in the NPS being placed before Parliament was flawed.
In the request for judicial review, under Section 13 the Planning Act 2008, the secretary of state is the defendant and Heathrow Airport Ltd is added as an interested party.
Heathrow Hub is supported in its action by sister company Runway Innovations Ltd. Companies House filings show that Heathrow Hub and Runway Innovations Ltd are both 74% owned by Sahara Limited, a company listed as owned by fashion designer Susan Coppersmith-Heaven and family.
They also have Mark Bostock and Steven Costello as minor shareholders in common. Companies House filings show that Messrs Bostock and Costello resigned as directors of Heathrow Hub in May but they remain officers (as well as minor shareholders) of Runway Innovations Ltd, along with Peter Lonergan and former Concorde pilot Jock Lowe.
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