By Maria Zaccaro, Local Democracy Reporter
The extension of the runway at Southampton Airport looks set to go ahead and work could start this summer - but it could still be subject to legal challenge.
• Minister’s airport decision ‘baffling’ says think-tank
Southampton Airport has said that there’s no further opportunity for the government to call in the decision to extend it by 164m, as on Thursday (June 3) Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) announced that the final planning agreements had been formally signed off.
The council, which declared a climate change and environmental emergency in 2019, said it had informed the government it intended to sign off the final agreements by the end of May and didn’t receive a request from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to not issue the decision.
In April the ministry said it had received a number of requests to call in the plans.
As reported by Eastleigh News, the go-ahead was given 24 hours after the government ministry reportedly told the news website that calling in the decision was still under consideration.
And in an email sent to Airport Expansion Opposition Southampton (AXO) on May 19 and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the government said: “The application is currently under consideration by the Secretary of State. The department has an agreement with Eastleigh Borough Council that it will not to issue the decision notice, on the above application, until the Secretary of State has completed his consideration of the application.”
Work on the runway could start as early as August this year, and the airport has asked campaigners not to delay the work.
AXO said: “We very much regret that the decision to extend the runway cannot now be called in as we do not believe it would have stood up to independent scrutiny.”
The decision could still be subject to legal challenge.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment by the LDRS.
Additional reporting: bitternepark.info
• Minister’s airport decision ‘baffling’ says think-tank
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