Surrey lawyer in airport fight

Cyril Dixon

THE LEGAL battle against plans for a new £900 million terminal at Heathrow Airport is spearheaded by a lawyer from Surrey County Council.

Surrey's principal solicitor Joanna Mortimer is co-ordinating the legal team for 10 local authorities opposing the terminal five proposals.

The hearing, at the Ramada Hotel on the Heathrow complex, is expected to last two years.

Mortimer is pulling together evidence from consultants, technical experts, and other witnesses for the case against the BAA scheme. She has already spent two years on the case and will continue as the link between witnesses, other council solicitors and counsel, Sheila Cameron QC and Craig Howell Williams.

The Surrey lawyers were chosen to head the local authority line-up ahead of two prominent City firms, because of their greater understanding of local government and lower cost.