Gatwick campaign group will not accept High Court ruling as the final word as legal challenge against runway plans are dismissed
A campaign group has said it ‘will not accept’ the High Court’s ruling to dismiss their legal challenges against Gatwick airport’s Northern Runway plans ‘as the final word’.
High Court Judge Mr Justice Mould dismissed two challenges brought by GACC (Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign) and CAGNE (Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions) against the £2.2 billion plans – which will allow around 100,000 extra flights a year and involves moving its emergency runway 12m (39.3 ft) to the north so that it can be brought into regular use.
The groups were fighting the plans which were approved by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in September 2025.
And CAGNE are now looking to appeal the decision.
A CAGNE statement said: “CAGNE will not accept this ruling as the final word. Our legal team will now consider an appeal, and we will continue to stand up for the communities who will be forced to live with the consequences of this expansion.
“CAGNE are obviously disappointed by today’s ruling. Communities across Sussex, Surrey and Kent helped fund this legal action because they have grave and legitimate concerns about the proposed expansion: the lack of airport funding for essential infrastructure, the absence of proper investment in sewerage treatment, the increased noise burden on local residents, worsening air quality, and the significant rise in CO2 and other harmful emissions.
“Today’s ruling provides no reassurance for those concerns. It does not change the fact that local communities are being asked to carry the consequences while the airport fails to provide the funding needed to protect the people and places affected.
“It is fundamentally wrong that taxpayers should be expected to meet the costs of new runway operations while shareholders stand to profit from an additional 101,000 flights a year and 80 million passengers. The public should not be left to pay for the infrastructure, environmental damage and disruption created by private gain.
“This Government must stop viewing aviation expansion through rose-tinted glasses and relying on unsubstantiated claims of economic benefit while ignoring the vast local and global environmental costs. Communities deserve honesty, accountability and protection — not another decision that sidelines their health, homes and environment.”
Campaigners say under new rules they have seven days to apply to the Court of Appeal. The High Court ruling against the challenges marks the end of the current legal chapter in the case. If it chooses to do so, CAGNE will have seven days in which to lodge an appeal against the decision, co-claimants Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) say.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are pleased with today’s High Court ruling to uphold the Government’s careful decision to grant planning approval for our Northern Runway Project. Our exciting plans will deliver significant business, tourism and trade benefits for the UK, including 14,000 new jobs and a £1bn boost to the economy every year. This is a victory for common sense. We now look forward to turning our plans into reality and will announce further details in due course.”