Government gives green light to Luton airport expansion plans
Council aims to increase annual passenger numbers from 18m to 32m
KickT
The government has approved expansion plans by Luton airport which will enable annual passenger numbers to rise from 18 million to 32 million.
The plans include the building of additional terminal capacity, new airside and landside facilities, and the extension of the Luton Dart airport rail link.
Preliminary construction works could start as early as 2025.
A joint announcement on Friday (October 13) by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and the Department for Transport said planning permission should be granted.
The expanded plans have been opposed by local community groups, who claim the developments and increased numbers of flights will affect the quality of life for nearby residents, cause environmental damage and add to carbon emissions.
CPRE Hertfordshire objected to the plans earlier this year, saying: “The expansion proposal is terrible for local people, whose daily lives will become a nightmare with more noise and more air pollution.
“It’s also terrible for the countryside…and the proposal is terrible for the planet, at a time when we need to be doing everything we can to mitigate and reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero.”
However, Luton Rising, the Luton Council company that owns the airport, had said the expansion could generate an extra £1.5 billion and create thousands of new jobs.
Luton Rising announced in March that its proposals would undergo detailed examination by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
News of the decision comes two days after the airport’s operations were disrupted by a fire in a multi-storey car park at the hub.
The Terminal Car Park 2 remains closed and travellers are warned that travelling to the airport may take longer than usual.
Picture: CraigHastings/Shutterstock.com
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