Gabriel Carlyle in Hollington Valley, proposed site of Queensway Gateway road.

High Court challenge to Gateway road

A reminder from Zelly Restorick that on 25 and 26 June 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 in London.

The legal challenge claims that the committee should not have granted planning permission for the project as the road breaches 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, on behalf of St Leonard’s resident Gabriel Carlyle.

In a case brought recently by the law firm ClientEarth, 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.

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”.

Also in: Home Ground