Appeal court gives farmer consent to continue Carlisle airport legal fight

15.12.2009   (Cumberland News)
 
By Julian Whittle

The £25 million redevelopment of Carlisle Airport is threatened by a legal challenge
from an Irthington farmer.
 
Gordon Brown has been given leave to apply for a judicial review of Carlisle
City Council’s decision in 2008 to grant planning consent for warehousing and
offices.

The High Court twice rejected his application, most recently in October.

But that ruling has now been overturned by the Court of Appeal in London.

The Rt Hon Lord Justice Sullivan has allowed the judicial review because, he
says, it has a "real chance of success".

His ruling is a blow to Stobart Group, which owns the lease on the airport, and
to Carlisle City Council.

The court could order the council to withdraw the planning permission if the
challenge ultimately succeeds.

Stobart Group wants to build an HQ at Carlisle Airport and warehousing for its
Eddie Stobart road-haulage business, to replace facilities at Kingstown, Carlisle.

Mr Brown, of Lane End, directly opposite the airport, objected to the planning
consent on the grounds there had been no adequate environmental-impact assessment.  
He also argued that the application should have been referred to a Secretary of
State for a possible public inquiry.

The judicial review hearing will be held in the Court of Appeal next year.


http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/appeal_court_gives_farmer_consent_to_continue_carlisle_airport_legal_fight_1_650378?referrerPath=home
 
Below is some earlier news about the plans and challenges:
Campaigners refused leave to go for judicial review
 
27.10.2009         The Judge at a hearing at the High Court in London refused campaigners
leave to have a judicial review of the Carlisle City Council decision, to allow
airport expansion.   Campaigners are now seeking leave to take the case to the
court of appeal.    

Judge defers ruling on Carlisle man’s airport challenge

29th September 2009         A Carlisle man who is fighting plans for redevelopment of the airport took his
challenge to the scheme to the High Court. Thomas Gordon Brown, of Irthington,
objects to the granting of planning permission for a freight storage and distribution
facility at the Crosby-on-Eden airfield. The site’s owner, Stobart Air Ltd, secured
permission earlier this year, but opponents believe the Carlisle City Council
decision was "unlawful" and should be overturned.           Click here to view full story…

 

Farmer’s legal challenge to Carlisle airport heard today

28th September 2009       A legal challenge to the redevelopment of Carlisle Airport is due to be heard
in the High Court. Gordon Brown, who farms at Lane End opposite the Crosby-on-Eden
airfield, is seeking a judicial review of Carlisle City Council’s decision to
grant planning permission. A judge sitting in Newcastle threw out his original
review application in July. But Mr Brown has pursued the case, th is time at the
Royal Courts of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division. (News & Star)       Click here to view full story…



 

Planning permission granted for Carlisle Airport scheme

1.04.09      
The £25m plans to redevelop Carlisle Airport have cleared another hurdle after
planning consent has been officially released by Carlisle City Council. This means
the Stobart Group, the company behind the scheme, can now exercise its option
to buy the airfield and start the development work. Due diligence is currently
being carried out before the deal is signed.  
Release of planning permission was delayed until the council received a legally-binding
document from Stobart promising to improve the runway and passenger terminal at
the site. That was required in order to avoid the project becoming a purely commercial
move to relocate the Eddie Stobart haulage company at the site, as some local
campaigners had suggested would happen.    
Under the redevelopment plan, passengers could soon board a plane at Carlisle
and be in the centre of London in under one-and-a-half hours. Flights would operate
between Carlisle and Southend Airport, which Stobart also owns. A railway station
will be built soon at Southend, which will see trains running on a high-speed
link to the site of the Olympics and London’s Liverpool Street station.    
UK Airport News