Uttlesford District Council has refused BAA’s application to expand
the use of the existing runway at Stansted Airport.The Council’s
Development Control Committee voted unanimously to support the
recommendation of planning officers that the application should be
rejected.

Saffron Walden, 29 November 2006. BAA had submitted an application for
planning permission to vary/remove conditions attached to its 2003
permission, which capped runway use at 25 million passengers per year. The
application has been rigorously and transparently examined over the last
six months by the Council’s Development Control Committee, with the
conclusion that the evidence pointed clearly at a refusal. The DCC were
unanimous in accepting the recommendation of planning officers.

Mark Gayler, Leader of Uttlesford District Council, said “The evidence is
clear. The impact of the proposed increase in flights and passengers would
have an unacceptable impact on noise levels, air quality and the overall
quality of life. BAA has failed to address these issues in a sufficiently
robust or sustainable manner through this application, and has also failed
to produce adequate proposals to improve the rail service and show how they
would deal with increased road traffic in a sustainable way.”

BAA will now decide whether they will lodge an appeal against the decision.
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