Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and declarations of interest.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Gerard and Goddard.

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the meeting on 11 May 2017 were received and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Director – Public Services gave an update on the progression of plans for the expansion of Stansted Airport. He said Stansted Airport Limited had submitted its scoping request on 2 June. Officers and the Manchester Airport Group had been reviewing responses to the consultation on the scoping request. The Council had instructed a barrister from the aviation and aerospace group in 39 Essex Chambers to assist it in this task, and was also in the process of engaging consultants with expertise in air quality and noise.

Additionally, discussions had taken place with the Manchester Airport Group regarding the timeframe for submission of the planning application, the application’s assessment, and its determination. The group had now come to a view as to what it would be applying for. It had not yet settled on arrangements for announcing this decision, although it was expected to do so shortly. Following that, the group would then formally write to the Council to clarify its planning proposals.

A land side tour and presentation on the application to members by STAL was being arranged for a date towards the end of October. The application itself was likely to be submitted in the new year.

In response to questions from members, the Director – Public Policy said there were drivers for further significant investment in the airport, and plans for expansion would represent such investment.

Members said safety of access to the airport from Takeley was an issue. The pedestrian footpath terminating at the boundary of the airport meant people had to walk through the airport grounds without a designated path. Signage for the drop-off site was also poor, and unfavourable parking conditions meant some customers choose to park their cars on streets in Dunmow. These problems would only be exacerbated by further expansion without a major review.

In response to a question from the Chairman asking how surface access would be addressed by the Manchester Airport Group, the Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said the aim was for the airport to have a number of headline targets and set priorities against these targets. Such actions could possibly include accommodating public transport growth while improving its overall quality, reducing single car usage by staff and reducing kiss and fly movements.

Councillor Lemon said flights still passed over Hatfield Heath, meaning they were deviating from their flightpath.

The Chairman said Manchester Airport Group’s application would have to be examined in terms of national aviation strategy and as a commercial application. The Director – Public Services said the expectation was that there was additional market demand which could be met by expansion at Stansted. The airport was the only airport in the London area with significant runway capacity available to meet such demand. The Chairman said the runway was however running at capacity at peak times and any increase in night flights might be an issue with local residents.

Members noted the availability of late night transport from the airport had been an issue in the past,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To consider the call for evidence by HM Government on a new UK Aviation Strategy.

The committee considered the report of the Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer noted that in the Council’s response to the government’s call for evidence, he had expressed concern that providing a number of separate documents for consultation could prevent easy understanding of overall policy by those with a lack of technical knowledge.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said page 18 of the report was a commentary on the government’s recent decision on the new night flights regime for Stansted.  The outcome was as expected, but the introduction of the new QC/0.125 category was welcome.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said making use of unused South East airport capacity was an issue that the government wanted to deal with before the second round of consultation had been completed.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said growth and environmental impact would likely be the most significant issue for Uttlesford, encompassing surface access, noise, air quality and airspace management. Councillor Fairhurst said he thought it was important to think about growth and the environment as two separate issues. The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said he had covered that point in the Council’s response to the consultation.

The Chairman said the six chapters in the report all covered important topics, but the Phase 2 consultation might not necessarily take into account all the issues that were important to the Council.  The Planning Policy / Development Management Liaison Officer said that, in that case, the Council could raise these matters in its Phase 2 consultation response.

In response to the Chairman saying that there was no structural linkage between each consultation, the Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said he had made that point in the Council’s response to the government’s call for evidence. A government-led policy on planning and noise and a clear iteration of responsibility for aerodrome safeguarding were needed.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said clarity on airport market strategies was needed and it would be beneficial to consult with other authorities.  Assessing the quality of passenger travel needed to be seen as the whole journey experience.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer and members said it was not clear what was intended by the government’s use of the term ‘best use of existing capacity’ of runways, which was used throughout the consultation. It was noted that to some, this phrase implied a sufficient level of resilience to recover the timetable when unexpected events occurred, as opposed to maximum capacity use.

The Chairman said there was currently no linkage between potential residential development and potential airport development. In response, the Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said airports would always have to demonstrate in transport assessments that modelling work took into account demands placed on the road network by local housing growth.

The Planning Policy/Development Management Liaison Officer said it would be helpful for each government topic paper to include a non-technical summary. Members said further consultations should avoid leading questions and allow the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.