Huge dismay as Government approves massive expansion of Luton airport

The Government has approved a massive expansion of Luton airport to 32 million passengers per annum. This is nearly double the 16.7 million passengers who used the airport last year. The approval comes despite the Planning Inspectorate recommending the expansion be refused.

CPRE Hertfordshire has been campaigning for the protection of the countryside east of Luton for many years. So we are deeply dismayed that the Transport Secretary has approved this massive expansion of Luton airport, including new taxiways, a new terminal, and a variety of additional airport infrastructure.

Terrible for people, the countryside and the planet

The Government’s decision is terrible for local people, whose daily lives will become a nightmare with more aircraft noise, more air pollution, and more airport traffic congestion in local villages.

It’s also terrible for the countryside. The airport expansion to the east will destroy Wigmore Park, a highly-valued green space, recreation area and wildlife habitat.

The huge increase in flights – up to 77,000 more flights each year – will also destroy the tranquillity of the Chilterns National Landscape and the wider countryside across a broad swathe of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire under the flight paths.

And the airport expansion 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.

Planning Inspectorate recommended airport expansion be refused

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS), who conducted a six months’ long public examination into Luton airport’s proposed expansion, recommended that the expansion be refused because of environmental concerns and harm to the tranquillity of the Chilterns National Landscape. PINS’ recommendation is available on their website.

The Government decided otherwise however, with a spokesman stating the decision “underlines the government’s commitment to unlocking vital infrastructure and backing growth”. But research from the New Economics Foundation shows that airport expansion won’t boost UK growth, but will instead drive tourism revenue out of the UK with more people taking more flights for holidays abroad.