10 Jun 2025
Should St Albans district council actively oppose the planned expansion of London Luton Airport?
Green Party councillor Juliet Voisey has submitted a motion to tonight’s planning policy and climate committee calling on leader Paul de Kort to write to both the Government and Luton Borough Council over its recent approval to increase passengers to 32 million per annum.
She wants him to outline SADC’s opposition and concerns over the proposed expansion at Luton Airport due to their climate commitments and declared climate emergency and highlight the negative impacts on the area surrounding Luton Airport.
These include concerns over air quality, noise pollution, road traffic congestion and the inconvenience of ongoing road/airport development to residents.
Juliet said: “We all know the environmental impact of flying. This Government’s proposal of airport expansion across the south east is in direct conflict with the attempts to mitigate ourselves out of breaching 1.5 degrees warming.
“The short-term economic gain from these expansions will be wiped out from the long term effects of the increased flights. Instead why don’t the Government introduce policies to manage the demand for flights? The introduction of a frequent flyer levy would be fairer, given most flights are made by only 15 per cent of the UK population.
“We need investment in a faster, cheaper and more reliable rail service. France has banned short domestic flights in favour of rail travel.
“The idea that Sustainable Aviation Fuel will offset any expansion is greenwashing at its best by this Government. It currently accounts for just 0.28 per cent of all aviation fuel. The availability of suitable waste for biofuel is tenuous and using land to grow crops for biofuel is problematic when we have less and less land available.
“The expansion of Luton Airport affects us all but benefits the few. From Luton we can expect a 70 per cent increase in night flights with the expansion. Wigmore Park in Luton was created as a buffer for nearby residents from the effects of the airport but this will be destroyed with the expansion making their lives miserable. And Luton Borough Council puts their local economy at risk with its financial dependency on the airport alone.
“The Secretary of State has ignored the recommendations against the expansion by the National Planning Inspectors. LADACAN has initiated a legal challenge of the lawfulness of the decision to expand.
“I believe we have a duty to protect residents’ health and wellbeing from the pollution, noise and congestion to local areas that this expansion will cause.”
Contributions can be made to the campaign opposing the expansion at Judicial Review of Luton Airport Expansion Decision
