Major meeting over Stansted Airport expansion plans

There's been a major meeting on plans to expand London Stansted Airport.

Uttlesford District council heard from residents, town and parish councils in one of the biggest planning decisions in their history.

The airport want to increase their passenger number by 8 million a year, but local people have staged a vocal campaign against the plans.

In November 2018 the council approved Stansted Airport's plans to increase its capacity.

However, the planning decisions were overruled due to a change in leadership at Uttlesford District Council. They now have to be reconsidered.

John Farrow, from Great Dunm, who has worked at the airport for the last 26 years, says the council should be investing into the community.

Stansted says rather than more flights it would use bigger planes that hold more people.

As part of its mitigation it has outlined plans to invest 35 million pounds in the local economy over the next 8 years.

These include 15 million for local transport schemes, new bus routes and local roads. Stating that the expansion would bring 5000 new jobs to the area.

Next Friday Manchester Airports Group, which owns Stansted, and Stop Stansted Expansion will both present their case to the planning committee before a decision is made for the second and possibly last time.