Stansted to appeal planning refusal

London Stansted is to appeal the decision made by Uttlesford District Council’s Planning Committee to refuse its application to expand the airport.

The application was rejected in January despite having been conditionally approved in November 2018.

Later this month London Stansted will formally submit an appeal to The Planning Inspectorate, an executive agency of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The Planning Inspectorate will then oversee a public inquiry before making its recommendation to Government.

Ken O’Toole, London Stansted’s CEO, said: "We’ve been listening to local communities over the last few years and we used their feedback to shape our proposals to make best use of Stansted’s existing capacity.

"As a result, the application we put forward would mean no increase in the number of flights that can operate from Stansted each year, and we committed to provide a comprehensive package of measures to benefit local people.

"From our discussions with local communities, it is clear that the majority of local people support our proposals, and they welcome the airport’s commitment to maintaining the existing cap on the number of flights and to reducing the airport’s overall noise footprint.

"Since January, we have carefully considered the comments made by the Planning Committee, the strong case we made about environmental effects, alongside our assessment of the significant benefits that the future success of Stansted will deliver to the region.~

"In our view, the Council failed to provide any credible or substantiated reasons to justify its decision to refuse the application. For this reason, we have decided to appeal the Council’s decision.

"It is regrettable that we have been put in a position of having to appeal, particularly in light of the clear advice the Council’s elected members received from their own officers and expert legal advisors, but also because of the time and significant costs that will be incurred as a result of the appeal.~

"The Covid-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the lives of people across the country and on the UK economy, and it is crystal clear that aviation will play a critical role in the local, national and global economic recovery.

"Our proposals have always been about growing Stansted in a sustainable way to support its vital role as the economic engine of the region, by responsibly managing its impacts and providing clarity for local communities.

"We are confident about the merits of our proposals and the prospects of securing the planning approval that will pave the way for Stansted to maximise its contribution to the success of the region it serves."

The airport has planned to increase the current cap on passenger numbers from 35 to 43 million a year.

But it said the proposals could be delivered without any increase in the number of flights that are currently allowed, and include a legally binding commitment to reduce the airport’s noise ‘footprint’ and an enhanced sound insulation scheme for residential properties close to the airport.

It served 28 million passengers a year before the lockdown.

News of the appeal was welcomed by Unite the union.

Regional officer Mark Barter said: "Since Uttlesford district council refused planning permission for the next stage of development in January, the aviation and travel sectors have been thrown into turmoil by the coronavirus emergency.

"Unite has been a long-term supporter of Stansted’s development as a major generator for the East of England economy and we are pleased to support the appeal application by the airport’s owner Manchester Airport Group (MAG).

"We need to plan for the post-pandemic economy and Unite views Stansted’s expansion as an economic building block in the years ahead in terms of economic growth and job creation.

"Hopefully, this appeal will give the airlines the confidence to invest in Stansted, rather than adopting the short term approach of shedding jobs which is currently the case."

The district council’s planning committee in November 2018 originally approved the application provisionally to increase the numbers using Stansted from 35 million passengers annually (for which there is already permission) to 43 million. It