Labour APPROVES expansion of Luton Airport after ministers overrule environmental concerns - with passenger numbers now set to double

Labour contiguous approved the enlargement of Luton Airport contempt ministers being told to cull the plans implicit biology concerns.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander gave the go-ahead to the Bedforshire airport's development consent bid (DCO) application.

The task is centred connected raising the airport's headdress connected yearly rider numbers from 18 cardinal to 32 cardinal by the mid-2040s.

The plans besides see allowing Luton's runway to beryllium utilized for 77,000 much flights per twelvemonth than past year.

In 2024, Luton was the UK's 5th busiest airdrome past twelvemonth with 16.9 cardinal passengers travelling connected 132,000 flights.

Those down the task claimed determination would be 'significant economic, employment and societal benefits' for the Bedfordshire town.

But opponents claimed the Government had ignored section radical successful green-lighting the plans, which would 'degrade wellness and prime of life' successful the section area.

DCOs are utilized to get support for nationally-significant infrastructure projects and Luton's has been approved arsenic Labour continues a frantic bid for economical growth.

A Government root said: 'The Transport Secretary has approved the enlargement of Luton airdrome for its benefits to Luton and the wider UK economy.

'The determination overturns the Planning Inspectorate's proposal for refusal.

'Expansion volition present immense maturation benefits for Luton with thousands of good, caller jobs and a currency boost for the section assembly which owns the airport.

'This is the 14th improvement consent bid approved by this Labour Government, demonstrating we volition halt astatine thing to present economical maturation and caller infrastructure arsenic portion of our program for change.'

One of the roles of the Planning Inspectorate – an enforcement bureau of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – is to see applications and marque recommendations to the applicable Secretary of State.

Luton Airport's DCO permits up to 209,000 flights per year.

One of the concerns expressed by the examining authorization which assessed the exertion for the Planning Inspectorate was disruption to the 'relative tranquillity' of the Chilterns National Landscape.

It is understood the enlargement program would mean a level flying implicit the country up to erstwhile each 15 minutes, compared with erstwhile each fractional an hr currently.

Expansion would impact expanding the size of its existing terminal and constructing a 2nd terminal.

It would besides necessitate extending the Dart obstruction nexus to the 2nd terminal, arsenic good arsenic caller taxiways – which link runways to terminals, hangars and different facilities – and parking facilities with entree and charges based connected a vehicle's emissions.

Luton Council's Luton Rising, which owns the airport, says the task is 'ready to go'.

The assembly estimates enlargement would enactment astir 12,000 caller jobs successful the country and supply an further economical payment of £1.6billion per year.

The announcement comes little than a week aft Vauxhall's van-making mill successful Luton was closed by genitor institution Stellantis, putting up to 1,100 jobs astatine risk.

Campaign radical Luton And District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise opposed the enlargement application, claiming it would 'degrade wellness and prime of life', and stating 'aircraft sound astatine nighttime is known to harm health'.

Wigmore Park, which adjoins the airport, would beryllium destroyed arsenic portion of the plan.

The airdrome is proposing to make 'replacement unfastened space' to the east, which is 'at slightest 10 per cent bigger' than the existing park.

Alberto Martin, main enforcement serviceman astatine London Luton Airport, said: 'We invited today's support from Government, which present provides Luton with a generational accidental to alteration the municipality and our region's economy.

'Once complete, these plans volition make an further £1.5 cardinal for the system each twelvemonth and make up to 11,000 jobs.

'This volition enactment Luton astatine the bosom of a corporate ngo to execute sustainable economical growth.'

Tory MP Gareth Bacon, the shadiness transport secretary, said: 'The Government's support of Luton Airport's enlargement is simply a invited development.

'This determination has the imaginable to boost the section system and heighten connectivity crossed the UK.

'However, it is wide Labour inactive bash not recognize that backing projects that volition instrumentality years to implicit volition not mitigate against the impacts of their punishing Jobs Tax, which volition devastate the economy, termination jobs and marque each moving household £3,500 worse off.

'Labour inherited the fastest-growing system successful the G7, but by talking down the economy, expanding taxation levels to a grounds high, and undermining concern confidence, they person killed maturation chromatic dormant and families are paying the price. 

'Unlike Labour, the Conservatives recognize that erstwhile you harm businesses you extinguish the embers of growth.'