Council mounts legal challenge to curb night-time noise

10.33.58am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 23rd May 2008

• May 16: A High Court challenge is being mounted next week by Richmond Council and two other boroughs as part of a continuing drive to ban night-flights at Heathrow.

Richmond, Wandsworth and Windsor and Maidenhead Councils contend that the current night-flights regime is illegal as some of the flights are noisier than are allowed by the Government's own rules. The three authorities will put their case before Mr Justice Sullivan at a Judicial Review in the High Court, starting on Tuesday May 20. The hearing could last three days. If successful, Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, could be forced to slash the number of aircraft allowed to arrive at Heathrow before 6am. The Councils will argue that the Minister is failing in her duty to protect residents from excessive night noise. They will also say that the Government ignored its own policy directive which requires it to "bear down on noise."

Leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Serge Lourie, said: "We believe that the current noise from night-flights is both excessive and illegal and this challenge is another important step along the road to our ultimate goal - a complete ban on night-flights. At the court hearing, we are aiming to achieve much-needed relief for residents in the period between 4.30 am and 6 am. The types of aircraft which break the rules should be grounded."