Hitchin Forum

Caring for our Town

Luton Airport Expansion Consultation

By

The Forum’s transport and planning groups have met and summarised the issues as follows.

  1. The need for expansion has not been demonstrated. Long term high oil prices and the economic slowdown are likely to reduce demand for air travel, particularly in the “no-frills” area where Luton hopes for expansion. There is no need to do anything now, particularly as the airport is not yet utilising all of the capacity which it currently has.
  2. It is irresponsible to be encouraging more flights while there are no solutions on the horizon to the problems of noise nuisance, or emissions of CO2 and other pollutants.
  3. The government is currently consulting on aviation policy, and it is not clear that expansion at Luton will be a favoured option.
  4. London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL) is owned by Luton Borough Council, which receives a substantial contribution to its finances every year from the airport. It is wholly wrong that any planning application should also be decided by LBC, which has a clear conflict of interest. LBC needs to make it clear that it will stand aside from any planning decision, which should be referred to the Secretary of State so that it can be decided in an impartial and transparent manner reflecting the interests of surrounding areas as well as the narrower financial interests of LBC.
  5. Expansion threatens to exacerbate congestion on the A505 through Hitchin, which cannot readily be dealt with in an environmentally acceptable fashion that does not threaten the town and the green belt to the south and west.
  6. The claims of employment growth seem somewhat fanciful. Our understanding is that expansion in recent years has resulted in an insignificant increase in employment. We would expect this trend to continue as any growth at Luton is likely to be from the “no-frills” sector, where the aim is to keep employment at an absolute minimum to reduce costs and maintain low fares. A figure of 4,000 additional jobs needs to be justified rather than just stated if it is to be believable.
  7. It is apparent that this consultation is the result of a commercial dispute between LBC and the airport’s operator, Abertis. It is irresponsible of LBC (as LLAL) to alarm its neighbours by putting in a vexatious planning application to itself, rather than resolving its differences with Abertis.