Mixed reaction to Stansted Airport runway plans
12.03.08
There has been a mixed reaction to the long expected expansion plans at Stansted Airport announced yesterday, which include a new runway and terminal, and could see the hub handle 68m passengers by 2030 – as many as Heathrow today.
Essex County Council has branded the plans as ‘unwanted and unnecessary’. Leader Lord Hanningfield said: ‘This is not what the people of Essex want and it is not what the people of Britain need. If it goes ahead, it will have a severe impact on the quality of life for Essex residents with more pollution, traffic, noise and will place huge pressure on already overstretched infrastructure and public services. We are strongly opposed to a second runway and we will fight it tooth and nail. It is time for the Government to go back to the drawing board and rethink its aviation strategy.’
The Institute of Directors in Essex, a business group, believes expansion is demand led and businesses in the region will benefit as a result. Chairman Paul Rolison said: ‘The development of 13,000 new jobs in the region is to be welcomed, furthermore the prospect of the East of England maintaining its international reputation as a part of the global marketplace is greater now that the planning process has begun.’
Trade union Unite (formerly the Transport & General Workers) also said the plans were necessary to maintain the growth of aviation and the employment. Regional secretary Steve Hart said: ‘Air transport is a major contributor to the economy in Essex and the south east and keeps thousands in work. We have consistently argued for the expansion of Stansted to reflect the growth in passenger demand. The plans now are much more advanced in terms of reducing the potential impact on the local environment; they should go through in our view.’
The Green Party has vowed to fight the ‘lunatic’ expansion plans. The party said they would result in ‘catastrophic damage’ to the countryside and would cancel out efforts in Essex to tackle climate change.
The Liberal Democrats condemned the proposed expansion, claiming it reveals the government's climate change policy as ‘full of hot air’. Lib-Dem Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker MP said: ‘The Government's air travel strategy needs to be determined by the needs of the environment, passengers and affected local communities, not the needs of BAA's shareholders. Air travel is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, yet BAA and the Government continue with an outdated aviation policy.’
Bishop's Stortford (Conservative) MP Mark Prisk said: ‘I believe this announcement by BAA could prove prejudicial. An inquiry on the first runway is currently under way, yet this announcement by BAA assumes permission will be granted, before a decision has even been made. As for the scheme, I remain firmly of the view that this runway is perverse, and unworkable.'
The National Trust said the plans will have major consequences for the 10,000-year-old Hatfield Forest. Keith Turner, National Trust's area manager, said: ‘The potential increase in noise pollution alone would have a major detrimental impact on the tranquility experienced by the quarter of a million visitors annually and the wildlife inhabiting this ancient woodland.’
Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce said a second runway is for ‘the good of the region's economy’. Chief executive John Bridge OBE said: ‘If we do not increase capacity at Stansted, businesses currently contributing to our region's thriving economy will be forced to relocate to a region which has an infrastructure that can sufficiently support their growing transport needs.'
Stansted Airport Chamber of Commerce pledged its support to the expansion. Director Julie Budden said: ‘It is evident many more people travel internationally for business and pleasure and the expansion will allow access to new routes offering the potential of business growth in the area.'
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