Residents’ worst fears were realised when LLAL and the council announced plans to expand the airport. These organisations have ignored all of the residents’ concerns that were voiced in phoney consultations.
The plans show that over half of the existing Wigmore Park, which sits on a capped toxic tip and was created as a natural buffer between residents and the airport, will go. So will all of the park’s County Wildlife Site with its recognised County Wildlife Status, as the council intends to expand the airport to 32 million passengers.
Residents of Breachwood Green can look forward to a new engine run-up bay that will be built on raised ground and will overlook the village together with a sewage works, effluent treatment plant, a fuel farm and airport parking that will butt up to the Offley Parish boundary and be lit by tower lighting.
Residents of towns like Stevenage, Harpenden and St Albans and the surrounding villages, will be blighted by aircraft noise on a scale that cannot be imagined with aircraft arriving and departing every 60-90 seconds.
The plans show a direct link road from Eaton Green Road to terminal 2. This means traffic from the A1 and A505 will use local residential roads Ashcroft Road, Wigmore Lane and Eaton Green Road to access the terminal. These roads contain two primary schools. The proposal is in complete breach of the adopted local plan.
With the airport expansion consisting of a new terminal, car parking and aprons, Luton Council will be expanding zero hour contracts or short hour contracts paying minimum wages – as is already rife at Luton Airport.
Road traffic is also expected to increase by around 70% despite more passengers arriving by the DART.
A PDF link to the Plan, Our Future
Link to latest Expansion Plans, vision2020-2050.pdf (llal.org.uk)