London Stansted CEO publishes open letter to local residents

Ken O’Toole, the Chief Executive Officer of London Stansted Airport (STN), has published an open letter written to local residents, outlining the plans for the future of the airport and the benefits that the region will experience as a result.

O’Toole began the letter emphasising the role the airport has within the community and its dedication to residents: “As your local airport, Stansted’s success has always been rooted in the optimism and success of the region we serve and we are proud of the efforts we make to ensure our growth is in the best interests of the community. We have always supported a healthy and accurate debate about our future and when we asked the local community what you wanted from our future growth you were very clear – that you appreciate that a healthy Stansted is good for the region but the airport’s impact on local communities and the environment needs to be managed properly.”

Concerns about local and environmental impacts were addressed, including discussion about the proposal to Uttlesford District Council’s Planning Committee: “Our proposal to grow has been subject to a comprehensive environmental assessment which has been carefully scrutinised by Uttlesford Council officials and its independent consultants. The verdict from their assessment of this evidence is unanimous – that the data underpinning the assessments is valid, the methodology used complies with all the latest policy and legal requirements set by Government, and importantly that our application to grow would create no significant harm, whether that be with regards air quality, carbon, noise or transport.”

The letter has been published prior to the organised meeting of Uttlesford District Council’s Planning Committee, which will see members consider and discuss the airport’s application to serve more passengers, which was originally approved in November 2018.