Challenge to Manston Airport DCO

Paul Stinchcombe QC, Richard Wald QC and Gethin Thomas are instructed by Kate Harrison and Susan Ring of Harrison Grant LLP in a judicial review of the Secretary of State's decision to approve the re-opening of Manston Airport, on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, as a dedicated freight airport. In so deciding, the Secretary of State overturned the recommendation of the Examining Authority to refuse development consent. They act on behalf of Jenny Dawes, a local resident who participated in the examination. Manston Airport has been disused since it was formally closed in 2014. The claim, issued today, contends that the Secretary of State's analysis of the need for the development was flawed, and that moreover, the Secretary of State failed to discharge his duty to ensure that the net UK carbon account for the year 2050 is at least 100% lower than the 1990 baseline ("Net Zero"), under section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008. Manston Airport is the first ever proposed airport development to go through the DCO examination process, and the claim is the first challenge to an airport DCO. Gethin previously acted on behalf of local resident objectors pro bono through the Environmental Law Foundation.