Stop Luton Airport Expansion/Friends of Wigmore Park are disappointed to see that the Secretary of State for Transport has announced conditional approval for the Development Consent Order application from Luton Rising, to expand London Luton Airport from 19 million to 32 million passengers per annum, and construct a second terminal and a major access road.
We are extremely pleased that the presentations made by ourselves, fellow opposition groups, and members of the public, to the Planning Inquiry helped them see through the veils of greenwashing that Luton Rising produced.
The Secretary of State’s decision to not back their refusal, though disappointing, will require further investigations and research, if the conditions they have set are to be fulfilled.
We are also disappointed that the way Luton Rising has financed this application, has not been taken into account by The Secretary of State. Luton Rising will doubtless divert more badly needed finances from the town, into the costs of this application, which is already circa £100 million.
We will continue to monitor the process to keep Luton Rising honest in meeting fully these conditions set by The Secretary of State, and will comment in due course on these events.