London/Luton Airport expansion

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Nov 18 2021. Luton Airport owners

(that’s Luton Council) have rebranded

the Airport to become Luton Rising.

This to reflect is is "more than an

airport not just about planes in

the sky".

London Luton Airport Ltd has become

Luton Rising to avoid confusion with

London Luton Airport Operations Ltd,

which runs the airport. Although the

day-to-day running of the airport

carried out by a separate private consortium.

CONFUSING hey!

The rebrand was revealed at the launch event of Morton House, a new skills, innovation and business hub which will create 200 jobs for the town.

Luton Rising chief executive Graham Olver said: "We are not so much a business as a movement.

"We believe our sustainability measures will be some of the most far-reaching commitments to minimise environmental impacts ever put forward by a UK airport.

"Our new name and strapline embody these values: Luton Rising - our airport, our community, our planet."

“Our community ownership means we have values and a mission that sets us apart. One example of this is our approach to the environment. As owners of an airport, we are fully aware of our environmental impact: particularly carbon emissions, noise, traffic and air pollution.

"We believe our sustainability measures will be some of the most far-reaching commitments to minimise environmental impacts, ever put forward by a UK airport. And we aim to go further, pro-actively supporting the council’s target for Luton to be carbon neutral by 2040.”

Cllr Hazel Simmons, Leader of Luton Council, said: “Our ownership of London Luton Airport helps ensure thousands of positive life changing interventions can be made each year by the amazing charities and front line services the company funds.

"The new name and strapline much better explain what the company does and why it exists. For us it’s not about planes in the sky, it’s about creating exciting new opportunities for future generations and helping Luton become a town that truly thrives."

Read more on their web site; www.lutonrising.org.uk

June2021. Airspace change feedback report published.

Option One approved, which means minimal changes from today’s flight paths below 5,000ft, and greater dispersion of flights above 5,000ft.

A report summarising the feedback received by the consultation on proposed changes to arrival routes into London Luton Airport (LLA) has been published this week.

More than 2,400 people and organisations responded to the consultation, which ran from October 2020 to February 2021. Their feedback has been collated, categorised and reviewed to help inform the final design. Some of the main points that may influence the final design include:

Concerns about the position of a new hold exclusively for LLA traffic

Noise impacts below 8,000ft, which includes consideration of preferences expressed for the two options on which LLA and NATS consulted

Any increase in the use of aviation fuel

Impacts on other airspace users, by reducing the requirement for controlled airspace while still enhancing safety, and by agreeing operational practices to mitigate airspace access impacts

HOWEVER THE CHANGES WILL HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON HARPENDEN

To follow the progress of this Airspace Change Proposal, please check the CAA portal: https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk/PublicProposalArea?pID=51

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SOCIETY's COMMENTS ON LUTON AIRPORT EXPANSION PROPOSAL

As a matter of policy, the Society is not opposed to expansion of the airport, we will only support proposals to expand the airport if the benefits of the growth are likely to outweigh the costs and consequences, particularly where our community is concerned.

Luton Rising’s proposal poses a significant threat to our community and, more generally, we can find few benefits in the proposal to

outweigh the very significant costs and consequences for Harpenden residents, The expansion is therefore opposed Our findings can be downloaded by clicking the links below.

Word Document

Pdf document shown below

Dear member

As outlined in an earlier email we have now had an opportunity to read key parts of Luton Rising’s proposal to expand the airport to 32 million passengers and attend the exhibition held at the Eric Morecambe Centre on 4th March

Although, as a matter of policy, the Society is not opposed to expansion of the airport, we will only support proposals to expand the airport if the benefits of the growth are likely to outweigh the costs and consequences, particularly where our community is concerned.

Luton Rising’s proposal poses a significant threat to our community and, more generally, we can find few benefits in the proposal to outweigh the very significant costs and consequences for Harpenden residents.

We will therefore oppose expansion.

Our conclusion is informed by the following points:

More Pollution: Greenhouse gases from increased air traffic movements will grow significantly and will add to global warming. Luton Rising’s argument is that greenhouse gases (particularly CO2) are a national responsibility therefore they do not need to take any steps to limit the growth that more planes will generate. We believe this is a flawed and untenable position, not least because this is a national infrastructure project so national CO2 targets are relevant, and it’s reasonable for the Planning Inspectorate to consider how Luton airport proposes to limit greenhouse gas growth (bearing in mind 70,000 additional flights will contribute a further 1 million tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere annually). Luton airport does itself no favours in this regard as there are no proposals to reduce business jet flights (most of which are actually leisure flights), which would reduce the total number of aircraft movements and hence greenhouse gases and there are no proposals to incentivise airlines to use more efficient aircraft. In addition, Luton Rising has ignored the Environment Act 2021 which introduces Local Air Quality Management [LAQM] to “Strengthen the local air quality management (LAQM) framework to enable greater cooperation at local level and broaden the range of organisations that play a role in improving local air quality. Responsibility for tackling local air pollution will now be shared with designated relevant public authorities, all tiers of local government and neighbouring authorities”. The latter point concerning “neighbouring” authorities is strategically key as NO neighbouring authorities indicated they are in favour of expansion and, in any event, it would significantly threaten the Herts CC “Sustainable Hertfordshire Strategy” aim of “clean air for all” by 2030

Increased Disturbance: Noise will increase because there will be significantly more flights (it would reduce with no growth) and the additional noise will be concentrated in the morning and evening shoulder periods (and because low cost carrier flights are notoriously late arriving will mean a large increase in night flights traversing Harpenden in the early hours). Not only that, there are already clear signs that Luton Rising will look to accelerate growth beyond the Core Planning Case in Phase 1 as they refer to getting 23 million passengers through the current terminal in their 2022 business plan despite the Core Planning Case in the DCO referring to 21.5 million passengers in Phase 1. Of course, Luton Rising have a history of accelerating growth through incentivisation with complete disregard for the increased noise. Furthermore, the much heralded Green Controlled Growth proposals are still “in draft” and appear to allow significant flexibility in setting the targets that the airport has to meet and, worse, leaves Luton Council as the planning authority enforcing any limits

set (and they’ve consistently failed to do this in recent years). Finally, past experience of (the inaccuracy of) Luton Rising’s consultants assumptions about fleet modernisation means that fleet replacement will lag the modelling which will also mean more noise for longer and, of course, it’s well known that the newer A321 neo is just as loud as its predecessor (tests are being carried out to establish why – pilots though have said that the extra noise is caused by greater thrust on take off due to Luton’s short runway) so the assumption that newer aircraft are quieter can’t be relied upon. Separately, flights paths are being reassessed and the current proposals include a number of options that will mean greater overflight of Harpenden, which will made worse by expansion

No Shared Benefits: Despite a requirement to do so, there is no sharing of the benefits and costs of airport expansion. Direct employment growth is largely limited to Luton (any employment growth in Hertfordshire is negligible) and Luton receives the lion’s share of Luton Rising’s community funds, but, of course Hertfordshire (and Harpenden and nearby communities in particular) suffer the full effects of increased noise, growth in greenhouse gases, air pollution, clogged roads (even if we accept Luton Rising’s unexplained expectation that public transport journeys to and from the airport will increase as a proportion of all journeys there will be at least 40,000 additional passengers per day travelling to and from the airport the great majority on congested local roads) and more overcrowding on the railways. There isn’t even a “Transport Strategy” we can rely on as it’s still emerging

No Value: The Needs case makes a number of statements about the importance of the airport to the region’s growth and to the plans of neighbouring authorities. The contribution of Luton Airport to the Three Counties bordering Luton (Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire) is barely 1% of GDP and that won’t change with expansion so there’s practically no benefit to them and certainly nothing that compensates for the very significant environmental costs that would arise from any expansion which is why neighbouring authorities are united in their opposition to further expansion of Luton Airport

No Investment Justification: No business case is presented and the really critical costs are ignored – e.g. the tourism deficit i.e. the net cost of outbound tourism over inbound tourism, the cost of CO2 offsetting, the massive up front capital cost paid for by a long and uncertain revenue stream in circumstances where the airport’s core passenger growth has come from (1) wealthy regional holiday makers who are reassessing travel plans in the light of global warming (who may be forced to reduce air travel anyway through demand management (tax) if the current Jet Zero strategy fails), (2) eastern European migrant workers where traffic has plateaued since Brexit and is likely to further reduce as a result of turmoil in the region and (3) London residents where there will be significant competition from Stansted and Gatwick where profitability is much higher for the airports and airlines

Financial Risk: The Government has told Luton Council to diversity its economy to reduce its reliance on the airport. The DCO will increase Luton’s dependency. Luton Rising’s directors (and senior employees) lack the experience to deliver such a project and there’s a significant risk the cost overruns on the DART (original budget £225 million, expected to cost nearer £300 million), which was a key source of Luton’s financial problems, will be repeated and exacerbated. We have asked Bim Afolami to ask the relevant Ministers whether it’s appropriate for Luton Rising to submit a DCO proposal in such circumstances.

We encourage members to submit their own objections to this proposal too, to demonstrate to the Planning Inspectorate that we are united in our opposition to expansion of Luton Airport. Please submit your own objections based on some of the above points but in your own words, by

the deadline of 4th April, making clear you strongly oppose the plans to expand Luton Airport capacity to 32 million passengers.

You can complete the feedback form on the Luton Rising site https://magpielanding.traverse.org.uk/surveys/FutureLuToN but be warned the questions are loaded in favour of Luton Rising’s aims so you may want to review the advice on the LADACAN website first https://ladacan.org/luton-rising-consultation-questionnaire/. Alternatively, you can submit your objection by email to 2022consultation@lutonrising.org.uk but please ensure you include your name and address

Kind regards

Phil Waters Chairman Harpenden Society

The expansion of Luton Airport could

be knocked out with financial support

from you and other anti expansion

environmentalists from the

Harpenden area.

In the ring in September are lightweight

Ladacan against heavyweight Luton Council

who have allocated £600,000 as funding to

influence the National Planning Inspectors to

approve the project to The Secretary of State.

This unfairly balanced Public Inquiry could be equalised somewhat by adding ‘weight’ to the Ladacan team who would like to add a Junior Counsel, plus the New Economics Foundation and professional acousticians to their experts. This would make a formidable effort but that’s all contingent on raising the funds to pay for them.

Ladacan have set a funding target of £25,000 from individual or Society contributions which would be matched up to a limit of £25,000 with a funding arrangement secured by the West Herts Environmental Foundation from concerned people in the area covered by STAND (St Albans Aircraft Noise Defence), another community group.

Please help protect Harpenden against excessive airport noise and expansion that will adversely affect us all.

Please donate here https://whef.org.uk/opposing-luton-airport-expansion/

Background details can be found on the Ladacan web site.

https://ladacan.org

Feb 8. 2021 Covid crisis exposes Luton Borough Council’s dependency on the Airport for ongoing financial stability.

In July 2020 Luton Borough Council agreed a “horrendous” package of spending cuts after the airport operator it owns declared it could not make an expected £16m dividend payment due to Covid-19.

Then in September LBC borrowed £60m which it on-loaned to the airport to help it remain solvent following national lockdown measures.

And now the council’s proposed budget for 2021-22 outlines a rise in council tax rise by 4.99% plus other huge savings.

Commenting on the budget, Andy Malcolm, portfolio holder for finance, said: “Although there is uncertainty regarding future dividends from our airport company in the short to medium term, there remains significant confidence in the ongoing long-term success of our major asset.

“Luton airport will be key to our town’s recovery from Covid-19 and we are collectively responsible for steering a course through the pandemic’s devastating impact in the best interests of all Luton’s residents.”

Unite Trade Union representative for the Airport Jeff Hodge said the situation at London Luton Airport was "dire" and 250 of their members had lost their jobs. Unite represents some airport employees including security workers, baggage handlers and check-in staff.

Mr Hodge said: "The situation is just absolutely awful. It is dire. Those that are in jobs are in fear of their long-term future.

"The airport was booming... and now I am being told it could take two years to get back to where it was.

"Whilst passenger numbers may increase, in order for companies to maximise profit, existing employees will be expected to 'give 150%' before recruitment takes place.

"But we need people to get back on planes and be confident it's a safe environment, for the airport and the town to survive."

EasyJet, which has major operations at Luton and at London Gatwick, had previously said it would cut about 4,500 jobs from its 15,000-strong workforce. They predict that levels of market demand seen in 2019 were not likely to be reached again until 2023.

London Luton Airport said 105,000 people used Luton in November, down from just over a million in the same month in 2019. December will see an 80% reduction in passenger numbers and a 70% reduction in flights compared to last year.

The airport operator said it had made 50 compulsory redundancies, 59 voluntary redundancies, 23 people were taking sabbaticals and 50% of its staff were on the latest furlough scheme.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We recognise the impact national restrictions have on the travel sector and we will continue to keep doing everything we can to help this critical industry.

Richard Fuller one of Bedfordshire's Conservative MPs has said the council had "more than enough money to plug its gap" and could sell some of its stake in the airport

“As the majority shareholder in Luton Airport, the council usually benefits from an annual dividend of about £27m, but it said with aviation at a virtual standstill since March, it had been placed "in the painful situation of having to propose severe cuts to a number of key front-line services".

Labour council leader Hazel Simmons said: "The council has repeatedly called on central government to provide adequate emergency funding, but so far these pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

"If they continue to adopt this stance of indifference we will be forced to implement extreme savings measures to avoid the possibility of bankruptcy, which itself would have an even more destructive impact on services."

Information above sourced from trusted published media.