St Albans MP, Daisy Cooper: Luton Airport expansion inquiry should be paused
Luton airport has applied to increase its capacity from 18 million to 32 million passengers per year. This expansion would bring both a big increase in flights and road traffic congestion. Local MP, Daisy Cooper, is strongly opposed to it. She says people living underneath the flight paths in St Albans and neighbouring areas already experience a negative impact on their health and wellbeing from noise, which would only get worse. The airport has repeatedly breached their legal noise and passenger limits since 2019 with impunity and the promised introduction of newer, quieter aircraft has been broken with no discernible improvements. She says claims about economic impact and job creation are also pretty spurious. Luton airport has not delivered the jobs it promised years ago. Luton’s expansion would make it much harder for the UK to meet climate targets. The 2019 Advice from the government’s own Climate Change Committee is crystal clear: to meet the legally binding 2050 “net zero target” there should be no net expansion of capacity. The UK needs a proper policy on airport capacity, future flight numbers and future aviation carbon emissions. Until then, airport expansion plans should be halted.
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St Albans MP: Luton Airport expansion inquiry should be paused
8th December 2023 (The Herts Advertiser)
By Daisy Cooper MP
As temperatures dropped, a chilly week started with a frosty inquiry hearing into the expansion of Luton Airport.
Groups across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire prepared to state their case. But just as the public hearings got underway, I called for the inquiry itself to be put on ice.
The airport has applied to increase its capacity from 18 million to a whopping 32 million passengers per year.
Expansion will bring both a big increase in flights and road traffic congestion, and it’s why I’ve been fighting it since before I was elected, and even raising it in my Maiden Speech in 2020.
People living underneath the flight paths in St Albans and neighbouring areas already experience a negative impact on their health and wellbeing which would only get worse.
The airport has repeatedly breached their legal noise and passenger limits since 2019 with impunity and the promised introduction of newer, quieter aircraft has been broken with no discernible improvements.
Claims about economic impact and job creation are also pretty spurious. Luton airport has not delivered the jobs it promised years ago, and the sector has had one of the largest falls in wages in the country.
Savings are going into the pockets of shareholders, not into the pay packets of employees. We want new well-paid jobs from green technologies and they’re not to be found at the airport.
But fundamentally, Luton’s expansion would make it much harder to fight the climate crisis.
The 2019 Advice from the government’s own Climate Change Committee is crystal clear: to meet the legally binding 2050 “net zero target” there should be no net expansion of capacity.
Aviation is likely to be the single largest producer of carbon emissions by 2050 and fuel efficiency measures are estimated to allow only a 20 per cent reduction in emissions at best.
As a result, climate experts have told the government that no airport expansions should go ahead until a framework is in place to reduce emissions overall.
The same experts have said that a framework should be put in place by the end of 2024. I agree and have formally requested that the inspectors pause their inquiry until then.
It’s cold this week but 2023 is on track to be the hottest year on record. What happens next remains to be seen.
https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/23969302.st-albans-mp-luton-airport-expansion-inquiry-pause/
See earlier:
Hearing begins into Luton Airport passenger capacity expansion to 32 million annually
Participants told decision imminent on rise from 18mppa to 19mppa
By Euan Duncan, Local Democracy Reporter (Luton Today)
10th Aug 2023
A decision on whether the annual passenger capacity through London Luton Airport should rise to 19m is expected later this month, a meeting heard.
Operator London Luton Airport Operations Limited (LLAOL) applied to increase the numbers from 18m to 19m along with changes to noise contours.
Two secretaries of state have the final say on the plans and are due to reveal their decision on or before Tuesday 22nd August, following a public inquiry last September.
A preliminary hearing into proposals from London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL), trading as Luton Rising, to further increase the capacity to 32m passengers per annum began today. (Thurs 10th)
Procedural issues were addressed during the session, which lasted for two hours in the Riverside Suite at Venue 360 in Luton.
During the course of proceedings, local resident John Smith raised concerns about the LLAOL proposals, saying: “As I understand it’s still with the government for approval, or not.
“What happens to that now?” he asked. “Is that just ditched?”
Dr Richard Hunt, from the planning inspectorate, replied: “We’re aware of that planning application and the inquiry which took place last year.
“But it’s a separate process to this, which will be considered individually. We’ll be keeping an eye on whether a decision is made on that and what its relevance to this application will be, if and when that is made during this process.”
Andrew Lambourne, who chairs local protest group Luton and District Association for the control of aircraft noise (LADACAN), said: “For information, those commitments have been made that a decision will be issued on or before August 22nd in relation to that (LLAOL) application. I think that understanding is shared by others.”
Project officer for Luton Borough Council David Gauntlett added: “The planning case work unit wrote to the applicant, the airport operator (LLAOL), advising them a decision would be issued on or before Tuesday August 22nd.
“It’s being determined by two secretaries of state, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Secretary of State for Transport.”
Today’s preliminary hearing will be followed by open hearings tonight (Thurs 10th) and tomorrow morning also at the Gipsy Lane venue.
Dr Hunt said: “We absolutely recognise the need for the expansion is one of the principle matters we need to consider.
“It’s set out as an overarching principle issue. We’ve listed what we consider at this stage to be the potential adverse effects on the environment and living conditions, which could weigh against this.
“We haven’t listed our intention to consider relevant policy context and other publications, which may also turn out to be important and relevant in the consideration of this item.”
As well as opposition groups, several local authorities are represented at the hearing, including Luton Borough Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Buckinghamshire County Council and North Herts District Council.
The planning inspectorate examination of the development consent order (DCO) for the application by the borough council’s airport company (LLAL) is expected to close on February 10th 2024.
Hearing begins into Luton Airport passenger capacity expansion to 32 million annually
Participants told decision imminent on rise from 18mppa to 19mppa
By Euan Duncan, Local Democracy Reporter (Luton Today)
10th Aug 2023
A decision on whether the annual passenger capacity through London Luton Airport should rise to 19m is expected later this month, a meeting heard.
Operator London Luton Airport Operations Limited (LLAOL) applied to increase the numbers from 18m to 19m along with changes to noise contours.
Two secretaries of state have the final say on the plans and are due to reveal their decision on or before Tuesday 22nd August, following a public inquiry last September.
A preliminary hearing into proposals from London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL), trading as Luton Rising, to further increase the capacity to 32m passengers per annum began today. (Thurs 10th)
Procedural issues were addressed during the session, which lasted for two hours in the Riverside Suite at Venue 360 in Luton.
During the course of proceedings, local resident John Smith raised concerns about the LLAOL proposals, saying: “As I understand it’s still with the government for approval, or not.
“What happens to that now?” he asked. “Is that just ditched?”
Dr Richard Hunt, from the planning inspectorate, replied: “We’re aware of that planning application and the inquiry which took place last year.
“But it’s a separate process to this, which will be considered individually. We’ll be keeping an eye on whether a decision is made on that and what its relevance to this application will be, if and when that is made during this process.”
Andrew Lambourne, who chairs local protest group Luton and District Association for the control of aircraft noise (LADACAN), said: “For information, those commitments have been made that a decision will be issued on or before August 22nd in relation to that (LLAOL) application. I think that understanding is shared by others.”
Project officer for Luton Borough Council David Gauntlett added: “The planning case work unit wrote to the applicant, the airport operator (LLAOL), advising them a decision would be issued on or before Tuesday August 22nd.
“It’s being determined by two secretaries of state, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Secretary of State for Transport.”
Today’s preliminary hearing will be followed by open hearings tonight (Thurs 10th) and tomorrow morning also at the Gipsy Lane venue.
Dr Hunt said: “We absolutely recognise the need for the expansion is one of the principle matters we need to consider.
“It’s set out as an overarching principle issue. We’ve listed what we consider at this stage to be the potential adverse effects on the environment and living conditions, which could weigh against this.
“We haven’t listed our intention to consider relevant policy context and other publications, which may also turn out to be important and relevant in the consideration of this item.”
As well as opposition groups, several local authorities are represented at the hearing, including Luton Borough Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Buckinghamshire County Council and North Herts District Council.
The planning inspectorate examination of the development consent order (DCO) for the application by the borough council’s airport company (LLAL) is expected to close on February 10th 2024.
Luton Airport expansion plans to be examined by the Planning Inspectorate
The government has agreed that the Planning Inspectorate (PI) will examine proposals from “Luton Rising”, the Luton Council company that owns the airport, to expand Luton Airport from 18 million to 32 million passengers per year. The council makes the usual claims about more employment and great economic benefits for the area. The PI has six months to examine the plans. The transport secretary [Mark Harper, since October 2022] will then decide whether to grant development consent. The expansion plans include new terminal capacity, some runway changes, and new airside and landside facilities. A council spokesperson said that, “for every additional passenger above the airport’s current capacity, it will be able to invest an extra £1 into local communities, helping to tackle deprivation.” Really? Andrew Lambourne, a spokesman for protest group Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (LADACAN), said: “It’s tragic that the councillors who run Luton Rising have been so obsessed with growing the airport they appear to have lost sight of the need for prudence” Campaigners said the expansion plans would “create noise blight” across the area. Local MP for Hitchin, Bim Afolami, is strongly against the expansion, due to the additional noise burden it would bring.
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