Essex County Council is to mount a legal challenge to the Government's plans to expand Stansted and build a new airport off the Thames coast.
The county will be seriously affected by either a new airport at Cliffe in Kent or an expansion of Stansted so the council thinks it is wrong for Gatwick not to be considered for expansion too
But for now, Gatwick is protected by a covenant so that no expansion can take place before 2012.
Essex County Council has consulted its lawyers and is now calling for a judicial review of the Government's entire plans for airports in the South East.
Council leader Lord Hanningfield explained: "We don't wish this on anyone else, but it is the most major decision to be taken on the South East in generations and we feel very strongly that every option should be considered.
"That is why we were very surprised that Gatwick was not being considered - particularly when these developments are to deal with air travel over the next 30 or 40 years."
More in this week's Stansted Life
Published Wednesday October 16, 2002
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