Bishop’s Stortford and Harlow Labour MPs Josh Dean and Chris Vince welcome Stansted Airport expansion
Stansted Airport’s latest expansion plans have been welcomed by Bishop’s Stortford’s MP Josh Dean and Harlow MP Chris Vince.
Manchester Airports Groups (MAG) confirmed a five-year £1.1bn investment programme including a £600m extension to its Uttlesford hub’s terminal.
It will enable Stansted to accommodate 43 million passengers a year and is predicted to create 5,000 new on-site jobs and double the airport’s economic contribution to £2 billion annually.
Mr Dean said: “My mission as the MP for Hertford and Stortford is to make our community an even better place to live, work and learn.
“Sitting on our town’s doorstep, Stansted Airport is a major employer in Bishop’s Stortford and surrounding areas, and many of our young people benefit from opportunities to study vocational courses at Stansted Airport College.
“I therefore welcome this programme of investment at Stansted Airport… which promises to open doors to meaningful work and opportunities to gain skills for life for our residents, and signals that, under this Government, Britain is once again open for business.”
His Labour colleague’s Harlow constituency now includes the Uttlesford wards of Broad Oak and the Hallingburys and Hatfield Heath.
Mr Vince said: “When standing for election, I wanted to bring sustained investment into Harlow to bring about tangible change for our town and the surrounding villages.
“This is a clear act of confidence in this Labour Government, showing the airport’s trust to bring this investment into Stansted and the area.”
Stansted’s plans were announced at the Government’s International Investment Summit on Monday October 14.
MAG is owned by public and private shareholders, including Labour-run Manchester City Council (35.5%), IFM Global Infrastructure Fund (35.5%) and the nine other Greater Manchester local authorities (29%).