Stansted 35+ Project
Stansted Airport (STAL), owned by the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), is predicted to grow to 43 million passengers and 273,000 aircraft movements over the next decade. To accommodate this growth and make best use of its existing single runway, they submitted a planning application in February 2018, supported by an Environmental Statement we prepared with a team of specialist consultants.
The planning application was submitted to Uttlesford District Council (UDC) and sought permission for an additional rapid access taxiway (RAT) and rapid exit taxiway (RET) to serve the existing runway, with nine additional aircraft parking stands. STAL also sought permission for a proposed 23% uplift to its existing annual passenger cap of 35 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 43mppa, whilst retaining its approved aircraft movement limit. Together, these physical and operational changes comprise the ‘35+ Project’.
Key details
Project name
Stansted Airport 35+ Project
Client
Stansted Airport Limited (STAL)
Location
Stansted Airport, Essex
Services provided
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
- Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
- Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA)
- Consultant Team Management
- Expert Witness (EIA, HIA and Ecology)
- Attendance and Public Inquiry
Challenge
Uttlesford District Council (UDC) planning committee first approved the airport’s planning application in November 2018 subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement. However, following a change in the political control of the Council in the local elections in May 2019, where a collection of loosely affiliated councillors under the banner of ‘Residents for Uttlesford’ took charge, the planning application was brought back to committee several times and eventually refused in January 2020. This decision was based on somewhat tenuous grounds and against the advice of its own Officers and several QCs who the Council sought advice from.
STAL lodged an appeal against this decision which set in train a period of intensive work by our team and other consultants, to present the airport’s evidence to the inquiry. This included updating the original Environmental Statement (February 2018) with a comprehensive addendum (the ‘ESA’, October 2020). This ESA was based on a revised set of aviation forecasts accounting for the consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic on the predicted future growth of the airport, and focussed on the key topics of traffic, noise, air quality, carbon, socio-economics and health.
Solution
The public inquiry lasted seven weeks commencing in January 2021 and involved virtual hearings in front of three Planning Inspectors. The main parties to this Inquiry STAL, UDC and Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) - the local opposition group appearing as a ‘Rule 6’ party.
We provided three of Stansted’s expert witnesses covering procedural matters and defending the rigour of the EIA process; health and wellbeing; and ecology and biodiversity.
The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) overruled the original planning decision in May 2021 and dismissed all of UDC grounds for refusal, concluding that these were “imprecise, vague and unsubstantiated” and that none of these stood up to scrutiny when examined at the public inquiry. The lead inspector also praised the quality of the ES and ESA, “the conclusions of which remained substantially unchallenged” by the evidence of the Council and SSE.
Project statistics
Passengers predicted by 2032
More passengers granted permission than previous planning consent
New taxiways
New aircraft stands
Related services
Environmental Impact Assessment
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Human health impacts
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Ecology
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