Stansted will hold 3 “community feedback” events on its plans to rise annual passenger number to 43m

Stansted Airport is to host three community feedback events, about its revised proposals for future growth over the next decade. There was an earlier consultation in July about growth plans. The 3 events will provide people with a further opportunity to raise questions about how Stansted intends to grow, the impacts of that growth, and how it could make best use of its existing capacity. Currently Stansted has a planning cap on the annual number of passengers, of 35 million. It initially proposed this being raised to 44.5 million (just under the 10 million rise, that would require it to be dealt with an Nationally Significant Infrastructure project, but a different process) and has now reduced this to 43 million. Stansted claims this could be achieved without increasing the number of aircraft movements (= flights) that are currently permitted to operate each year or the size of the airport’s approved noise ‘footprint’.  A key issue for local people who would be affected by the expansion is noise, and just how much that would get, if an extra 8 million passengers per year were permitted. That would require planes being fuller, and also larger planes – which inevitably are noisier than smaller ones, even with new technologies to reduce noise.  Stansted will next submit the final planning application to Uttlesford District Council in early 2018.
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Stansted Airport to host series of feedback events for revised growth proposals

By Catherine Johnson (Braintree and Witham Times)

1.11.2017

Stansted Airport is to host community feedback events to update residents about its revised proposals for future growth over the next decade.

Airport staff will be at three locations to report back on the extensive consultation with communities over the summer, during which residents’ views were gathered on plans to raise the cap on the number of passengers that can be served each year.

The latest events will provide people with a further opportunity to raise questions about how Stansted intends to grow responsibly and make best use of its existing capacity.

Around 26 million passengers use the airport each year, an increase of nearly 10 million passengers over the past five years, but Stansted’s growth potential is limited by a planning cap which would prevent the airport handling more than 35 million passengers per annum (mppa).

Following feedback at the consultation events, Stansted is now hoping to raise the cap to 43mppa to enable it to meet growth in passengers over the next decade, down from the original proposal of 44.5mppa.

This reduction will enable growth to be met without increasing the number of aircraft movements that are currently permitted to operate each year or the size of the airport’s approved noise ‘footprint’.

Paul Willis, London Stansted Airport’s transformation director, said: “Our consultation events over the summer were attended by over 700 people and provided us with invaluable feedback on our responsible growth and investment plans, and our aim to further increase the choice of destinations served at Stansted.

“While there was wide community support for the benefits that growth would bring, local residents were concerned about the proposal to increase the number of flights that the airport is permitted to operate each year.

“We’ve listened carefully to those concerns and made changes to our plans so growth can be met within the current flight and environmental limits.

“We believe this is good news for local residents but feel it’s right and appropriate that we continue to engage and provide our neighbours with the opportunity to find out more information and raise any further questions they may have.

“We have chosen locations where residents showed the most interest in our plans and would urge as many people as possible to come along so we can listen to their views and share more details before we submit the final planning application to Uttlesford District Council in early 2018.”

Events:

November 21, 4pm to 8pm at Radisson Blu Hotel, Waltham Close, Stansted Airport, CM24 1PP (free parking is provided at the hotel)
November 23, 4pm to 8pm at St Michael’s Church, 1 Windhill, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 2ND
December 1, 4pm to 8m at Talberd Room, Foakes Hall, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow, CM6 1DG

http://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/north_essex_news/15633699.Stansted_Airport_to_host_series_of_feedback_events_for_revised_growth_proposals/

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See earlier:

Stansted Airport lowers growth target from 44.5 million to 43 million per year

Stansted Airport has scaled-back its expansion plans, saying it will achieve is growth ambitions without seeking any increase in the number of flights it is allowed to handle. Stansted current has permission for 35 million passengers per year, while it currently has about 25 million. But the airport said in June that  it ‘urgently’ needs the cap to be raised to 44.5 million. Stansted is now saying it wants the cap raised to 43 million, not 44.5 million – and they can accommodate that growth by use of larger planes. They say they can get to 43 million passengers without increasing the noise “footprint” that is already authorised under the current capping arrangements. Stansted is hoping to get a lot of growth in passenger numbers, in the time before (if it ever happens) a 3rd Heathrow runway is built. Stansted hoped to get the growth to 44.5 million passengers, about 9 million more than now, through on a regular planning application – rather than having to go through the more rigorous National Infrastructure process, that would be needed for a 10 million passenger increase. Local campaign Stop Stansted Expansion said: “People shouldn’t be hoodwinked by Stansted Airport’s spin doctors. The new planning application would still mean an extra 1,800 flights a week compared to today’s levels.” There will now be more feedback sessions by Stansted during November, before a final planning application to Uttlesford Council early in 2018.

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Stansted had 25m passengers this year – finally well above levels in 2007 after years of declines

Stansted airport had 25 million passengers in the past year, its highest number ever. Numbers of passengers using Stansted have been growing rapidly in recent years following its acquisition in 2013 from the former BAA group by Manchester Airports Group (MAG) – and the end of the recession that started in 2008. There are now some new operators, as well as increased activity by established airlines, including Ryanair. Stansted says it now has 190 destinations, and a growing route network. They are now having their busiest summer ever, and hope to get to 26.5 million passengers by the end of 2017. Ryanair said that since its first Stansted flight in 1989, it has carried over 230 million passengers through Stansted with over 140 Stansted routes.  The airport has recently given formal notification of its intention to submit a planning application later this year to seek permission to grow to an annual throughput of 44.5 million passengers and 285,000 flights. This compares to last year’s throughput of 24 million passengers and 180,000 flights. Stansted only got back the number of passengers it had in 2007 by 2016 – after years of declines.

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Stop Stansted Expansion warn people not to be hoodwinked by deceptive displays about airport’s growth plans

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has issued a warning to residents across the region not to be hoodwinked by Stansted Airport’s smoke-and-mirror exhibition and biased consultation survey on its further expansion plans. Both appear designed to trick people into thinking that further Stansted expansion in passenger number will be painless and sustainable. They make these claims, even before the environmental impacts have been assessed. The displays are deliberately misleading, and SSE says people should be very sceptical. Brian Ross, SSE’s deputy chairman, said the displays are all about spinning the positives and saying nothing about the negatives.” People attending the exhibitions need to ask searching questions, like explanations about the proposed increase in flight lights compared to today. And  and passenger movements compared to the position today.  This, say SSE, reveals a very different picture from the one being put forward by Stansted’s bosses who have been making the false claim that the extra passenger numbers will only lead to “approximately two extra flights an hour”.  In reality the proposal would mean an extra 2,000 flights a week compared to today’s levels – 285 per day.  That means an increase from on average of a plane every 2¼ minutes, to a plane every 85 seconds.  Stansted current has permission for 35 million passengers per year, while it currently has about 25 million. But the airport says it ‘urgently’ needs the cap to be raised to 44.5 million.  And see this link too. 

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Stop Stansted Expansion brands airport expansion plans as premature and opportunistic

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has condemned Stansted Airport for insulting the intelligence of Uttlesford District Council (UDC) and the community at large by claiming that its latest expansion proposals will have “no significant adverse environmental effects”.  SSE’s Chairman Peter Sanders has further stressed the need for the council not to be hoodwinked by the airport’s spurious claim and to ensure a comprehensive, honest and thorough assessment of all the environmental impacts that would result from major expansion.  The statement comes following the airport’s formal notification of its intention to submit a planning application later this year to seek permission to grow to an annual throughput of 44.5 million passengers and 285,000 flights. This compares to last year’s throughput of 24 million passengers and 180,000 flights.  If approved, this would mean an extra 20 million passengers and an extra 104,000 flights every year blighting the lives of thousands across the region. Stansted hasn’t even started to make use of its 2008 permission to grow from 25mppa to 35mppa.  Even by its own projections, the airport doesn’t expect to reach 35mppa until 2024 although the credibility of its forecasts is questionable given its wildly inaccurate record on this front.

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