County council fears Luton Airport expansion’s impact on Hertfordshire
A Wizz Air plane comes in to land at Luton Airport. Picture: DANNY LOO - Credit: Picture: DANNY LOO
Luton Airport’s expansion plans are anticipated to cause “serious problems” on the roads, according to Herts county council.
The airport is planning to expand to accommodate 32 million passengers per year (mppa), which has led to concerns from campaigners in St Albans and Harpenden about the impact of noise pollution on residents.
Herts county council has identified ensuring sustainable transport links to and from the airport as its key challenge, to mitigate the pollution and traffic congestion caused by people travelling by car.
Derrick Ashley, cabinet member for growth, infrastructure, planning and economy, said: “Like many others who responded to London Luton Airport Limited’s (LLAL) informal consultation last year, we continue to have serious concerns about the impact of aircraft noise on nearby towns and villages.
“We’re also concerned about how an extra 14 million passengers a year will actually get to the airport without this causing serious problems on Hertfordshire’s roads.
You may also want to watch:
“With up to 100,000 new homes expected to be built in Herts over the next 15 years we’re already expecting a 20 per cent increase in traffic on our roads if we don’t take action.
“We need to make sure that the airport has proper sustainable transport plans that encourage people travelling to and from the airport to use more sustainable options, such as bus and rail.”
Most Read
- 1 What to expect with pupils heading back to the classroom
- 2 CCTV appeal after £100,000 worth of vehicles destroyed in arson attack
- 3 Residents' misery after disruption on former Butterfly World site
- 4 Tributes paid following death of 'warm and polite' Redbourn councillor
- 5 Special report: An insight into dog theft in Hertfordshire
- 6 Blooming Burnham flower tributes 'spread love not lurgies'
- 7 St Albans' COVID cases decline considerably as roadmap out of lockdown announced
- 8 Call for 20mph speed limits across district wins council support
- 9 Batchwood Hall COVID vaccine team warn of potential scam call
- 10 The latest court results from the St Albans area
LLAL chair cllr Andy Malcolm said: “In our judgment, targeting growth to 32 mppa is the right choice at this stage to help us move towards making the best use of our existing single runway in line with government policy, and getting the balance right between delivering economic benefits and managing environmental impacts.
“It remains our assessment and aspiration that London Luton Airport can deliver a maximum capacity of 36-38 mppa in the longer term.
“Noise and surface access were two of the key issues raised by respondents to our first public consultation last summer, and our technical advisers are already working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including Herts county council, to make sure that our evolving strategies to minimise and mitigate impacts will be the best they can be.”