Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise
No expansion plans
Since the Airport operator, London Luton Airport Operations Ltd (LLAOL), withdrew its draft Master Plan in July 2007, it has maintained that it “is to focus future development proposals on making the most of the existing site” (quote from Airport web site, November 2011). Given that the site is very small, this is a modest aspiration.
National and Regional Government Policy
The coalition government has swept away the previous government’s aviation policy by abandoning its White Paper and removing the Regional Plan which embodied the White Paper policies. It has started work on a new national policy for aviation while also promoting “localism” in planning and development but the new policy may not be in place until 2013.
LADACAN’s 2011 input to the new aviation policy can be found here.
Local Development Framework
Under the new strategic planning process brought in by the last government, Local Plans were to be replaced by Local Development Frameworks (LDFs). LDFs comprise a number of planning documents including a Core Strategy which sets out the broad plans for the way the area is expected to develop and Development Management Policies at a more detailed level setting a context for decisions on individual planning applications.
Luton’s joint Core Strategy with south Central Bedfordshire was submitted to the government in March 2011. This was expected to be subject to an Examination in Public before a planning inspector early in 2012 but, after initial examination, it was withdrawn. No draft Development Management Policies have been published.
Visit the LDF web site to keep track of this process.
Airport Development Brief
Luton Borough Council adopted the Airport’s Development Brief as supplementary planning guidance in 2001. The Development Brief was intended to take passenger traffic up to the planning policy limit of 10 mppa, a figure which is expected to be surpassed in 2008. The Development Brief was not accompanied by an environmental assessment but, despite this, a number of its proposals have been implemented as permitted development (ie without planning permission), helping to exceed the 5 mppa figure on which the most recent (1997) planning application was based.
In May 2011, work in connection with the LDF Core Strategy has revealed plans for a road through the centre of the Airport which run contrary to the provisions of the Development Brief. There are, therefore, no proposals available which could guide the public in respect of future plans for the Airport.
Local Plan Policy
The current Luton Local Plan was due to expire in 2011. However, a number of its policies have been “saved” pending the completion of the LDF process (see above). Any planning applications which are submitted in the interim should be determined in conformance with these “saved” policies. The main policy relating to development at the Airport is described on a separate page.