In June Stansted Airport submitted a planning application to Uttlesford District Council detailing how it intends to expand capacity and handle more flights and passengers there in the future – should permission be granted.
The district council is inviting you to leave comments on the airport’s plans before midnight on Monday, July 21 by heading to their website: stansted-airport-planning-application
Expanding the airport
The application outlines how Stansted Airport Ltd intend to construct two new taxiway links to their existing runway. This would allow the airport to manage 274,000 aircraft movements and increase the number of passengers using their terminals from 43 million to 51 million.
The airport and village life
Living next to the UK’s third largest airport affects Stansted Mountfitchet for both better and worse.
The airport is an undoubted boon to the local economy.
It an essential source of employment for many of our residents and a vital source of business on which many local companies rely.
On the downside many residents are affected by aircraft noise, fly-parking and congestion.
A larger airport will, then, undoubtedly bring gains for the community but comes with extra costs too.
Initial reservations
The Parish Council is currently assessing how best to respond to Planning Application UTT/25/1542/FUL
In June SMPC Chair Maureen Caton listed areas of concern at a Full Council meeting:
- The impact on housing need from an expansion in airport workers
- The impact from extra demand for local health and education services
- The impact on the transport infrastructure – including off-airport parking issues
- The impact on the environment and pollution
- The loss of land in the green belt (M11 improvements) and brownfield sites
- The question of how a proposal by the government to change flight paths aligns with this application needs to be clarified.
Briefing paper
The Council’s Airport Working Group has compiled a briefing paper for councillors.
Suggestions from the working group include asking the airport to:
- Improve public transport links to cope with millions of extra passengers
- Set parking fees that maximise carpark use and minimise fly parking, rather than to maximise revenue
- Deliver a safe cycle route from the village, not just to the business park but to the college and to the terminal
- Establish a free shuttlebus for airport workers and college students
- Erect more advisory signage to discourage fly parking
- Working with carriers to cut plane noise, for example by minimising the use of reverse thrust and static run-ups