Representation by Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce (Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce)
- Date submitted
- 13 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce is writing to express our support for Luton Rising’s application for development consent at London Luton Airport. We believe it is vitally important that London Luton Airport continues with its long-term sustainable growth plans to provide certainty for the businesses and communities it serves for the foreseeable future. The airport is a linchpin of the regional economy, contributing over £1.1 billion a year to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire economies and supporting 27,000 jobs nationally. As the UK heads into a new chapter, London Luton Airport will have a vital role in driving trade by providing direct and frequent access to markets and global opportunities. When London Luton Airport thrives and grows, so too does the regional economy, so the airport’s growth ambitions deserve our firm support. Clearly growth should not be pursued at any cost, and given our businesses and employees are based in the local communities in and around the airport, we fully understand that the impacts of expansion need to be considered, off-set and ultimately prevented. The Green Controlled Growth proposals demonstrate that Luton Rising is serious about growing in a sustainable manner. The Chamber believe that by unlocking much-needed new capacity, London Luton Airport’s growth plans are a way of delivering significant benefits to its local communities. Expansion can provide a unique opportunity to build a long term and sustainable legacy but to do so it needs to ensure that goods and services are procured locally, investment in the required skills and training provides opportunities for local people and an inclusive growth agenda is pursued to ensure the benefits are shared by all. We are firmly in support of the plans which we believe will play a crucial role in allowing businesses, their employees and our region to continue to prosper.