Representation by Luton Friends of the Earth (Luton Friends of the Earth)
- Date submitted
- 22 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
FoE registration to object – summary Development Consent Order by Luton Council to expand from 18 to 32 million passengers during an accelerating Climate and Nature Emergency Luton Friends of the Earth’s registration to object 20 Jun 2023 Your video says “the purpose of the NSIP process is to weigh local impacts against national need for such infrastructure, in a fair, open and impartial manner.” It is our strong view that approving this application would have devastating adverse local impacts, and be against national (and international) need. It is incomprehensible to us that, following the inquiry in autumn 2022, this DCO has been accepted for yet further debate, when catastrophic impacts of expanding aviation (the fastest growing source of climate emissions) both locally and nationally have already been clearly demonstrated. The Govt Climate Change Committee, on IPCC scientific advice and amid many warnings from the UN, says there should be no expansion in UK aviation. We have no intention of “suggesting ways to shape the scheme, or to reduce impacts of extra traffic”. There must be no scheme, and there must be no extra air or road traffic. Background We attended the East Midlands & Milton Keynes Sub-Regional Strategy Inquiry in 2004. The Panel of inspectors strongly advised Luton Council “not to put all its eggs in the airport basket”. This advice was not heeded. In 2022 government loaned Luton Council £80m due to Covid income losses, on condition that it reduce reliance on the airport. This was more than advice – but again, not only was it ignored, but the council and its company Luton Rising have in 2023 applied to radically expand airport passenger numbers. Luton FoE objected in 2014 when Luton Council voted to double passenger numbers from 9 to 18 million. A quarter of Luton’s GPs signed our petition against this, concerned that it would affect patients’ health, but the council voted for the increase. By 2019 the 18m had been achieved, in 5 years instead of 15, with no mitigation, against promises, the Local Plan and the National Planning Framework, making Luton the most polluted town and fastest growing source of climate emissions in UK. That is totally unsustainable and unacceptable, and cannot be repeated. The obvious conclusion is that demand must be managed to reduce, not expand, the number of flights from Luton. Covid was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime wake-up call to change our dangerous habits. But worryingly, flight numbers are climbing rapidly toward pre-Covid levels, and climate effects are accelerating. We founded residents’ group Friends of Wigmore Park in 2017 when a threat from Luton Council was announced, and Stop Luton Airport Expansion In 2018 when the council admitted that the main threat to the park was not a business park or a dual carriageway through it, but major airport expansion, a second terminal and extensive car parks. Luton Council had been planning this secretly since 2015. We were one of many groups and individuals objecting to the council’s approval of the operator’s application to expand from 18 to 19m, the subject of an Inquiry conducted by 3 inspectors in autumn 2022, which has yet to report. It is not clear, or fair on objectors, why the identical principles of expansion, while on a different scale, are overlapping. They are both overseen by the Planning Inspectorate. Many think the Inspectors should have rejected expansion above 18 or 19 million. It would have been helpful to view and digest the conclusions of the previous inquiry. Based on national policy and the number of objections, this should have given grounds for refusal of further expansion, pre-empting the need for a DCO process. We now find ourselves registering to fight the council’s Development Consent Order to government to expand from pre-Covid 18 million to 32 million passengers. At this first stage, we are asked for a summary of the main issues. We have not yet read, and may not had time to read, the many jargon-filled documents, which are likely to deter people from commenting. It was not even easy to find the registration form. We are mainly concerned not with details of the plans, but fundamentally oppose the key principle and impacts of expansion. The national (and international) need is not for airport expansion, but for considerably less flying. The UN and many IPCC scientists have warned repeatedly, since a key report in 2018, that the Climate Emergency is the biggest threat to humanity, and we must do all we can to change behaviours radically in as short a time as possible. 7 years has been cited as all the time we have to act comprehensively to prevent irreversible climate damage. Aviation is the fastest growing source of climate emissions. Not to fly is the biggest single thing individuals and business employees can do to cut their carbon footprint. Below are bullet-point headings. Under each of those we have begun to make notes summarising our concerns, to be fleshed out later. Grounds for objection 1 Climate Emergency 2 Fatal Destruction of Nature, especially one of Luton’s best wildlife habitats 3 Wigmore Valley Park – a major amenity for recreation 4 Pollution: More planes means millions more road vehicles 5 Luton is the wrong place for a major airport 6 New roads against local plan (2017) 7 Car spaces and travel would increase by over 50% 8 Noise and dust would increase, cause stress and could have severe health effects 9 Effect on Local Economy of airport-induced congestion 10 Luton’s largest Landfill Site to be dug up ‘at high risk’ – consultants 11 DART link from Luton Parkway station will not reduce road traffic 12 Luton Rising website claims about mitigation are unproven greenwash 13 Airport income not mainly for benefit of residents 14 Jobs claims unlikely, poorly paid, and green jobs needed 15 Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NISP) - – in excess of thesholds 16 Conflict of interests and Lack of democracy 17 Covid lessons not learned