Press release: Local man to challenge Hastings road scheme in High Court next week
June 15, 2015 by combehavendefenders
Press release
Combe Haven Defenders [1]
Monday 15 June
Contact 07565 967 250.
Photo available: http://tinyurl.com/ovd2ro5
LOCAL MAN TO CHALLENGE HASTINGS ROAD SCHEME IN HIGH COURT NEXT WEEK
Project would breach national and EU air pollution levels, contribute to climate change
Photocall: Thurs 25 June, 9am, High Court, London
A judicial review of the decision by Hastings Borough Council’s planning committee to grant permission for the £15m Queensway Gateway road will be heard in the High Court on 25 and 26 June [2].
The legal challenge claims that the committee should not have granted planning permission for the project as the road would breach national and EU laws on air pollution. In addition, it claims that Hastings Council ‘failed entirely to consider the increase of greenhouse gas emissions that will arise from the proposal and so is contrary to any efforts the UK may be taking to tackle climate change’.
The case will be conducted by lawyers from Richard Buxton – a specialist environmental and public law firm [3] – on behalf of St Leonard’s resident Gabriel Carlyle.
In a case brought recently by law firm Client Earth [4], the UK Supreme Court ruled that the government had to take ‘immediate action’ to cut illegal levels of air pollution. A recent report by Public Health England showed that in 2010, more than 28,000 deaths in the UK could be attributed to air pollution [5].
Permission for the Queensway Gateway road was granted on 4 February [6], despite almost 500 objections and clear evidence that it would cause irreparable damage to Hollington Valley local wildlife site, described in its designation report [7] as ‘invaluable and irreplaceable’. Councillors voted unanimously to approve the road, the primary purpose of which was described by the Head of Planning as ‘to provide access to the allocated employment sites’ [8].
Gabriel Carlyle said, ‘Hastings Council granted permission for this road even though it was clear that it would breach national and EU directives on air pollution, as well as increase CO2 emissions. It would also completely destroy an important local wildlife site. This legal challenge aims to compel the Council to reconsider this damaging waste of public money before it is too late’.
Contact 07565 967 250
NOTES
[1] www.combehavendefenders.org.uk
[2] https://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/4505/
[3] http://www.richardbuxton.co.uk
[4] http://www.clientearth.org/news/press-releases/uk-supreme-court-orders-government-to-take-immediate-action-on-air-pollution-2843
[5] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26973783
[6] https://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/4199/
[7] https://combehavendefenders.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/hollington-valley-snci.pdf
[8] https://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/transcript-of-planning-committee-meeting-on-queensway-gateway-road/
Combe Haven Defenders 