05 Sep Business leaders urge Uttlesford District Council not to delay Stansted Airport growth plans
Organisations representing 6,450 businesses across the East of England have joined forces to urge Uttlesford District Council (UDC) to stop delaying in granting the final approval to Stansted Airport’s growth plans.
In November 2018 UDC approved plans for London Stansted to increase the number of passengers it could serve from 35 million to 43 million per year, without seeking an increase in the number of flights and committing to deliver the growth within a smaller noise footprint than its existing permissions require.
These additional passengers will boost the East of England’s economic growth and deliver 5,000 additional jobs at London Stansted Airport.
In June 2019 Councillors voted to return London Stansted’s application to its Planning Committee, despite unequivocal advice from its own Council officers and independent legal experts that there was no impediment to the final approval being granted.
In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Leader of UDC, the leaders of the Chambers of Commerce for Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Hertfordshire warned that further resistance to approving Stansted Airport’s growth plans risked the region’s economy being “locked on a low-growth trajectory”.
The Chambers, who represent 513,000 employees across the region, have taken the unprecedented step of uniting to call on Councillors to finally give the airport’s application the green light when the Planning Committee meets to discuss it in the coming months.
Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Strong international links aren’t just important for business but bring huge benefits to communities across the region through jobs, tourism and a stronger economy.”
“With Britain about to leave the EU, we simply cannot afford to deny the East of England the opportunity to strengthen its ties with the rest of the world.”
“That is why Chambers of Commerce are calling on Uttlesford’s Councillors to listen to the voice of local business and the tens of thousands of their constituents who rely on Stansted Airport for their employment and get on and approve this application.”
Denise Rossiter, Chief Executive of Essex Chambers of Commerce, said:
“A strong and successful Essex economy goes hand in hand with the sustainable growth and international connectivity offered by Stansted, its local airport.”
“This growth will stimulate inward investment and create thousands more jobs and business opportunities for residents. Stansted is a major asset to the economy of the East of England and Essex, and with spare runway capacity at a premium in the London airport system, it’s an irrational and counter-intuitive step to block the economic and social development that the airport can provide.”
“Essex Chambers of Commerce welcomes Stansted’s commitment to growing in a sustainable manner and urges UDC not to squander this unique opportunity to create an additional 5,000 new jobs for the benefit of not just the District but also Essex, the rest of the region and across the UK.”
