Stansted can continue development planning

LONDON - Stansted airport can continue its expansion plan without central government approval. A High Court judge has dismissed an appeal by Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) group to have the airport`s planning application to serve more passengers determined by national government.

The application, which would see the airport increase the number of passengers it can serve to 43 million per year without increasing the number of flights already permitted, was first put forward in February 2018.

"We welcome this unequivocal dismissal of Stop Stansted Expansion’s appeal," an airport spokesperson said. "This judgment confirms what we, the DfT and MHCLG have said all along - that this application does not raise matters of national significance and should be dealt with and considered properly as any other local planning application."

In line with Government policy encouraging airports to make best use of their existing runways, the application was submitted for local consideration to Uttlesford District Council (UDC). The Secretary of State for Transport subsequently confirmed it did not qualify as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), and that UDC was the right body to determine the application.

This decision was challenged by SSE in a Judicial Review brought against the DfT in August 2018. The case was heard in the High Court in November 2019.