Stop Stansted Expansion calls on airport owner MAG to rule out appeal against refusal of planning permission to expand
Airport bosses have rebuffed a request from Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) to rule out a planning appeal.
The campaigners called on Stansted owner Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to "be magnanimous" and withdraw its bid to expand passenger numbers from the 35 million a year currently permitted to a maximum of 43m.
Before the coronavirus crisis grounded aircraft around the world, Stansted handled around 28m passengers a year with 199,000 flights.
The airport has a further three months to take its case to a public inquiry after Uttlesford District Council's (UDC) planning committee in January reversed its approval for growth, granted in November 2018.
In the interim, the authority switched from a Conservative administration to a Residents for Uttlesford party majority and its leaders have now set aside £1.7m to justify that decision and finance an appeal fight – and any costs incurred by Stansted if the Government finds in the airport's favour.
SSE chairman Peter Sanders feared a public inquiry could take a further 18 months to resolve the issue.
He said: "SSE has called upon MAG to show magnanimity in the current circumstances by announcing that it will respect the decision made by UDC earlier this year. It's time to end the uncertainty.
"Ending the uncertainty would allow UDC to release the £1.7m currently held in reserve and to use this money to assist local businesses and local residents, including airport employees who have been laid off, during the current crisis."
Mr Sanders concluded: "It's not only a question of magnanimity, it's also about common sense. The aviation sector worldwide has been decimated by the Covid-19 crisis and it will take a very long time to recover. It is highly unlikely that Stansted Airport will need permission for any further expansion at any time soon."
A spokesman for the airport said: "UDC's monetary reserve is a matter for them. We are still carefully considering both the comments made by the planning committee and also the wider stakeholder community benefits that the future success of Stansted will bring to the economy at such a critical time.
"From the outset, we listened to local communities to put forward an application that delivers no increase in already approved flight numbers and was supported by a comprehensive package of mitigation measures to benefit local communities."
He added: "This is an extremely difficult and challenging time for the whole country. The situation has, however, given London Stansted Airport the unique opportunity to play a small but vitally important part in further supporting the community in which we operate.
"London Stansted has remained open for business during this period, with our cargo operation playing a critical role in bringing goods into the UK, including vital supplies of PPE for the country's key workers.
"In addition, we are supporting the Government's drive to test more and more front-line NHS staff by making available one of our main long-stay car parks. Hundreds of our colleagues have been volunteering across Uttlesford and the wider Essex county, and we have been showing our appreciation for the work of the brave and brilliant NHS and healthcare workers by creating a special thank you message on the airfield."
SSE said that it was time for MAG to respect UDC's decision. Any appeal would be a shift in position for both – the campaigners have consistently argued that the Government should get the final say on expansion while the airport has maintained that the decision should be made locally.
