HERTFORDSHIRE County Council have published their formal response to a recent planning application to expand capacity at Stansted Airport, outlining concerns on behalf of residents and businesses across the county.

Hertfordshire County Council have published their formal response to a recent planning application to expand capacity at Stansted Airport, outlining concerns on behalf of residents and businesses across the county.

Following the publication of a masterplan for Stansted Airport last year that outlined their ambition to increase capacity and passenger numbers, a formal planning application has now been submitted to Uttlesford District Council for consideration.

The airport, located just over the Hertfordshire border in Essex and just a few miles from Bishops Stortford, has applied to change its existing planning permission which allows for 43 million passengers per annum, up to a new limit of 51 million per annum. While not increasing the number of flights, the larger aircraft that would be used could have further detrimental impacts.

The county council is cautiously optimistic that expansion can be brought forward within the environmental limits already in place and within national carbon budgets and net zero commitments but has called upon Uttlesford Council to commission independent specialist technical advice to confirm this and for specific controls and limits to be put in place if it is to be permitted.

There are, however, very seriously concerns about the potential impacts of an additional 8 million passengers a year on those parts of Hertfordshire’s road and rail networks that provide access to/from the Airport for passengers and employees. The county council has called upon Uttlesford Council to bring all those with surface access responsibilities together with representatives of the Airport to reach a consensus on those impacts and explore and agree, if possible, a package of interventions and measures that would address them.

Councillor Paul Zukowskyj, Executive Member for Environment, Transport and Growth at Hertfordshire County Council, said:

“As a council we want to see the entire country prosper, but not to the detriment of local people and businesses who may be negatively impacted by the proposals currently being put forward.

“Expansion at Stansted would of course bring economic benefits but I question how much of those benefits will be seen by those whose lives will be blighted by increased traffic, pollution and most importantly, noise. However, the local planning authority simply pushing on at this stage without specialist technical advice would be mistake.

“We are clear that any growth or expansion must be sustainable and of benefit to the local area, including to those just over the border here in Hertfordshire.”

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