Environmentalists protest outside Luton Airport expansion consultation event in Stevenage

Environmental campaigners gathered to protest against the proposed expansion of Luton Airport outside a consultation event. Protesters from Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Earth, LADACAN and SLAE joined forces for the peaceful demonstration. The airport plans to build a new terminal and increase passenger numbers from the current 18 million per year to 32 million a year. Former Herts county councillor Amanda King is now an active member of Extinction Rebellion which she set up locally in Stevenage; the airport expansion demo was its first action.  She said: “Flying has the highest carbon footprint of all forms of transport. Taking one return flight generates more carbon than people in some countries produce in an entire year. …[aviation] is expected to account for 25% of CO2 emission by 2050.”  As well as CO2, the protesters emphasised the airport expansion will also increase noise, traffic congestion and air pollution. The airport knows there will be hugely increased carbon impact from the expansion, as well as the other negative consequences, but falls back on the old chestnut of there being more jobs and more local prosperity.  In reality, most passengers using Luton are British people taking leisure trips abroad (spending their money there).
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Environmentalists protest outside Luton Airport expansion consultation event in Stevenage

11 December 2019

By Louise McEvoy (The Comet)

Environmentalists gathered to protest against the proposed expansion of Luton Airport outside a consultation event at Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre on Thursday.

Protesters from Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Earth, LADACAN – Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise – and Stop Luton Airport Expansion joined forces for the peaceful demonstration.

London Luton Airport Limited plans to build a new terminal and increase passenger numbers from the current 18 million per year to 32 million a year – nearly doubling its capacity.

Former Herts county councillor Amanda King, who lives in Stevenage, is now an active member of environmental movement Extinction Rebellion – and most notably arrested during the group’s London protests last month for laying down in a road with other campaigners.

Amanda has now set up an Extinction Rebellion group in Stevenage, and the airport expansion demo was its first action.

She said: “Flying has the highest carbon footprint of all forms of transport. Taking one return flight generates more carbon than people in some countries produce in an entire year.

“Aviation is the fastest growing source of carbon emissions, expected to account for 25 per cent of all emission by 2050.”

As well as carbon emissions, the protesters emphasised the airport expansion will also increase noise, traffic congestion and air pollution.

Two Extinction Rebellion Stevenage members dressed in black and wearing black face masks disrupted the consultation and were ejected from the event.

Anthony Aldridge – programme director of Luton Airport Limited – has said “the proposed development would deliver huge economic benefits to Hertfordshire and beyond”, including the creation of 5,600 jobs and a £2 billion boon to the economy, but said it is their job “to balance this out with the valid environmental concerns”.

He said: “We accept greenhouse gas emissions will be impacted by the expansion, but Luton Airport has shown in the past we are willing to listen to feedback and act accordingly.”

If you are interested in joining Extinction Rebellion’s Stevenage group, email ExtinctionRebellionStevenage@outlook.com

https://www.thecomet.net/news/extinction-rebellion-stevenage-protest-over-luton-airport-expansion-1-6417693

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Luton opposition groups:

LADACAN  Luton and District Association for the Control of Airport Noise )
SLAE  (Stop Luton Airport Expansion)

HALE  (Hertfordshire Against Luton Expansion alliance group)

STAQS  –  St Albans Quieter Skies on Facebook

Harpenden Sky   Harpenden Sky

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See recently:

Hertfordshire County Council objects to Luton Airport expansion, due to negative environmental impacts

Proposals to expand Luton Airport have been described as “madness” by a Hertfordshire county councillor.  The council unanimously voted to oppose further expansion of Luton airport at a meeting on 26th November, as they realised the expansion plans to increase to 32 million passengers a year by 2039 (from almost 17m now) would harm the environment. The airport’s proposals – to be decided by Luton Borough Council – include a second terminal north of the runway, an extensive new airfield infrastructure and a third station. There is a huge conflict of interest, as Luton Council both owns the airport, and decides on its planning applications.  At a time of growing realisation of the climate crises the planet faces, and with no realistic ways to reduce the carbon emissions from aviation, the industry should NOT be given permission to expand. The growth plans of airports across the country add up to a massive expansion in the number of flights and passengers, way above what could be compatible even with aiming for net-zero carbon by 2050 (and that is at least 20 years too late). The motion also called for Luton’s plans to be deferred until the new government has set out the Aviation Strategy, for the UK aviation sector, taking into account the advice of the CCC.

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Groups write to Government asking for a moratorium on airport expansion planning applications

Representatives of groups at some of the largest UK airports have written to both the Secretaries of State for Transport, and Housing, Communities and Local Government, to request a halt to airport expansion.  The letter asks them to suspend the determination by all planning authorities of applications to increase the physical capacity of UK airports, or their approved operating caps, until there is a settled UK policy position against which such applications can be judged.  Many UK airports are seeking – or have announced their intention to seek – planning approval to increase their capacity and/or their operating caps. In aggregate it has been estimated that proposals announced by UK airports would increase the country’s airport capacity by over 70% compared to 2017.  There is no settled UK policy on aircraft noise, or  policy on aviation carbon and how the sector will, as the CCC advises,  “limit growth in demand to at most 25% above current levels by 2050”. The letter says: “Until a settled policy with set limits is established for greenhouse gas emissions and noise there should be a moratorium on all airport expansion planning applications.”

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