P R E S S R E L E A S E

HARPENDEN TOWN COUNCIL

Town Hall

Leyton Road

Harpenden

Herts AL5 2LX

Tel: 01582 768278 Fax: 01582 760026

www.harpenden.gov.uk

Harpenden Town Council Responds to

London Luton Airport’s Planning Application

At a meeting of the Council on 6 March, Harpenden Town Council agreed its submission to Luton Borough Council, who are due to consider a planning application from the operator of London Luton Airport.

Its detailed response is focused on the issues that are of greatest concern to Harpenden residents namely, who is the most appropriate authority to consider the planning application, more aircraft noise, road and rail congestion and more night flights.

The Town Council is strongly of the view that it is in the clear interest of all stakeholders, including Luton Borough Council, that this application is decided by the Planning Inspectorate rather than the Council itself.

Aircraft noise is the key issue for any airport expansion and the Town Council argues that any growth at the airport must be conditional on observing the noise impact policy in Luton’s Local Plan.

Town Mayor Councillor Mrs Linacre highlighted “The operator argues that aircraft fleet modernisation will mitigate the noise from more flights yet easyJet is currently modernising its fleet with larger, more powerful and noisier aircraft. If we don’t have quieter planes, then extra growth in aircraft movements and passenger numbers shouldn’t be allowed.”

Further, the Town Council also considers it essential that such growth should also be conditional on achieving meaningful improvements in the use of public transport by travellers to the airport reducing the pressure on our roads.

In its submission, the Town Council has also proposed uncompromising, locally set limits to restrict any further expansion in night flights (between 23.30 and 06.00) and lead to significant improvements in the existing conditions for local residents.

“There is simply is no reasonable justification for scheduled short haul aircraft movements at night such as an easyJet flight that arrives from Ibiza at 2.20am” said the Council’s Airport Working Group Chairman, David Williams. “Luton cannot be allowed to become London’s low cost airline night flight airport of choice.”

“As the operator’s priority is to grow the daytime, scheduled and charter business, the Town Council has argued that it should halt night time freight flights that are a peripheral part of its business and a major source of disturbance and complaints.”

Finally, the Town Council expects an outcome of the planning application to be explicit passenger number and aircraft movement capacity limits set for the airport. In the past, passenger volumes have grown to far exceed what was anticipated in planning applications that did not result in explicit capacity conditions attached.

For further details please contact Councillor David Williams, 07733 225464 or email .

Notes to the Editor:

·  Harpenden Town Council’s principal authorities, Hertfordshire County Council and St Albans City and District Council, have secured longer submission extensions to respond to the planning application, which is enabling them to undertake more detailed technical analysis of the airport’s noise and transport proposal.

·  In terms of night flights the operator is seeking:

·  10,200 flights pa over the night period (23.30-06.00).

·  a total annual night noise Quota Count of 5,000.

·  at night (23.00-06.00), movements of aircraft with a noise Quota Count of more than 2 will not be permitted.

·  Harpenden Town Council has proposed:

·  6,500 flights pa over the night period (23.30-06.00).

·  a total annual night noise Quota Count of 2,900.

·  at night (23.00-06.00), movements of aircraft with a noise Quota Count of 2 or more will not be permitted.

·  In 2011, there were 6,466 night movements (23.30 to 06.00) at London Luton Airport.

·  Development at the airport is addressed by Luton Borough Council’s Local Plan Policy LLA1 which sets out inter alia that:

The Borough Council will grant planning permission for development at London Luton Airport provided that it:

(iv) results in an aircraft noise impact that is below the 1999 level