DECISION OVER FUTURE OF LONDON CITY AIRPORT DOES NOT REST WITH SADIQ KHAN

PRESS RELEASE

11 MAY 2016

 For immediate use

 DECISION OVER FUTURE OF LONDON CITY AIRPORT DOES NOT REST WITH SADIQ KHAN

Sadiq Khan, the new Mayor of London, in one of his very first acts, has instructed GLA Land to withdraw its objection to London City Airport’s Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) of Royal Docks Land, following new evidence supplied by the Airport.

However, a final decision on expansion is not in his hands but those of the Planning Inspector, who will make a recommendation to both Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Communities Secretary Greg Clark, following the main planning inquiry into expansion of City Airport concluded in April.

London City Airport wish to compulsorily purchase 26.4 hectares of GLA land to facilitate their CADP1 expansion programme which includes parts of the London Plan protected Blue Ribbon Network.

GLA Land was one of four remaining objectors alongside the DLR, who were objecting for reasons that included the unacceptable risk to passengers, and HACAN East the community group that represents residents under the flight path.

The Inquiry has been adjourned until Tuesday 17 May as negotiations between the Airport and the DLR continue, with agreement deemed highly likely. HACAN East will remain as non-statutory objectors and will present their evidence next week, as well as the Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Council, Cllr. Clyde Loakes and John Cryer, MP for Leyton & Wanstead.

This CPO Inquiry follows the previous inquiry which ended on 5 April into the previous Mayor of London’s decision to refuse expansion of City Airport on noise grounds. The Planning Inspector will now make a recommendation to both Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Communities Secretary Greg Clark.

Robert Barnstone, Campaign coordinator for HACAN East, said: “Advocates of expansion at City Airport should get less, not more excited at this stage as this changes nothing. City Airport’s new PR team are claiming this is a bigger victory for them when in reality we will know the outcome of the main planning inquiry later this summer, once the Planning Inspector has reported to the relevant Secretaries of State. Nothing has changed.”

Ends.

For more information

Rob Barnstone: robert.barnstone@outlook.com; 07806 947050