Hounslow Race Equality Council
When the UK Government planned a new runway at Heathrow Airport, they faced widespread local opposition.
The Hounslow Race Equality Council were represented by Friends of the Earth's Rights and Justice Centre in a case over the Department of Transport's failure to conduct an Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) of the proposed project.
The Rights and Justice team pushed the Department of Transport to carry out a meaningful EqIA on its proposals for a third runway and in the way it consulted on those proposals.
EqIAs are used to assess the impact of the proposals, as a way of meeting legal equality duties. All public authorities have a duty to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination for all racial groups
- Promote equal opportunities
- Promote good race relations
The action led to the Government carrying out a full assessment of the impacts of the Heathrow expansion proposals. This delayed a decision about whether to build a third runway by many months. The new Government in 2010 then abandoned the idea of a third runway altogether.
© Alan Betson
