Blow to area

UTTLESFORD Council's decision to approve plans to expand Stansted Airport is an enormous blow to the community, according to Stansted councillor Alan Dean.

And despite securing a number of environmental conditions, the decision to allow the airport to grow to cater for 25m passengers a year will still mean "noise and misery" for people living under the flight paths.

Mr Dean said: "It's a vast increase on the number of passengers that the original planning inquiry said should be imposed on the people of the district. But at least the committee has been able to get conditions imposed which might make it a little more bearable.

"In effect the committee had a gun to their heads. If they hadn't approved the application then BAA would have taken it to appeal and the whole thing would be in the hands of the deputy Prime Minister to decide. We all know what the Government's view on this is. The more flights, the more planes, the more noise the better.

He added the decision should not deter campaigners in their fight against Government proposals which could see an additional three runways built at the west Essex airport.

"This does not mean that we should stop fighting the airport expansion plans, if anything it makes the Stop Stansted Expansion campaign more urgent. We have to tell Alistair Darling that enough is enough and draw a line in the sand here."

15:52 Monday 7th October 2002

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