Terry Morgan, managing director BAA Stansted, today responded to Uttlesford District Council’s decision to refuse Stansted’s planning application to grow the airport on its existing single runway. He said: 

“Let’s be clear. This planning application is all about growth on the existing single runway at Stansted, it has nothing to do with our plans for a second runway. That will be an entirely separate planning application to be made next year.

“Having said that, we are disappointed Uttlesford District Council has been unable to support our application for growth on the existing single runway at the airport. Effectively, the Council is wanting to cap passenger numbers at the current level, which contradicts government policy and flies in the face of the interests of the record number of leisure and business travellers - tens of thousands of whom are local - who see Stansted as an affordable gateway to destinations and opportunities around the world.

“We intend to immediately appeal against this decision and will take our case to a public inquiry.

“No-one should be in any doubt that we remain very confident of the case we have made and that this will be fully recognised at the Public Inquiry.

“Meanwhile, we say a big thank you to all those who continue to support growth at Stansted and who recognise as we do, the social and economic benefit the airport brings to millions of people.”

Media contacts

Notes to Editors

• For full information on Stansted Airport expansion plans visit: www.stanstedairport.com/future.
• The planning application was titled ‘Generation 1’.
• Stansted Airport has a number of planning condition limits, imposed in 2003 by Uttlesford District Council (UDC), which restrict the passengers numbers to 25 million passengers per annum (mppa) and the number of air transport movements (ATMs) to 241,000 per year.
• The planning application is seeking permission to remove the cap on passenger numbers (Stansted is the only UK airport capped in this manner) and to increase the limit on ATMs to 264,000 a year.
• It is not asking permission for any additional physical developments or facilities that do not currently have planning approval; nor is it seeking any modification to current night flight restrictions.
• Stansted is the UK’s third busiest airport serving over 23.5 million passengers a year. It is expected the current permitted limit of 25 mppa will be reached in 2008.
• Extensive public consultation on the Generation 1 proposals took place between 27 July 2005 and 31 October 2005, including 27 exhibitions in local towns and villages.
• The application was accompanied by a comprehensive Environmental Statement that assessed the effects of development on a range of topics including Air Noise, Air Quality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Economic Effects, Employment and Housing Effects, Energy, Ground Noise, Landscape and Visual Impact, Nature Conservation, Surface Access, Third Party Risk, Waste, Water, Construction and Air Traffic Data.