Stansted Airport today announces that it is withdrawing its application to build a second runway at the airport.

The move follows a clear indication that Government airports policy will change, following the recent General Election. Stansted will also withdraw, with immediate effect, the provision for assisted relocation within the home owner support scheme¹ introduced at Stansted in 2004.

However, in line with assurances given to local people, the airport will proceed with the purchase of eligible properties currently going through the process, where it can be demonstrated that the owner is marketing or has marketed the property, and has not been able to agree a sale.

David Johnston, Stansted Airport's managing director, said: "We have reflected carefully on the new Government's clear intention to change its airports policy and have moved quickly to withdraw this application.

"Stansted Airport is a key driver of economic growth in this part of England, and we will continue to work hard to bring new business here and to work with our neighbours, and the wider community, to provide jobs and strong business and travel opportunities in the months and years ahead. We continue to believe that new airport capacity is needed in the South East of England, to strengthen the UK's international trading links."

ENDS

Notes to editores:

• BAA Ltd/Stansted Airport Ltd has today written to the following to advise of this decision:
• Secretary of State for Transport, Government Office for the East of England, Planning Inspectorate, Dept for Transport, Dept of Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Highways Agency, Uttlesford District Council, Essex County Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Stansted Airline Consultative Committee, SSE, those served Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) and Compulsory Rights Orders (CROs) , objectors to the CPOs and CROs and all those within the HOSS boundary.
• The G2 applications and orders were submitted in March/April 2008.
• Home Owners Support Scheme (HOSS) – explanation of what the scheme was originally designed to do:
• The voluntary scheme was to enable those property owners who qualified and who lived within the defined boundary, to sell their homes or commercial premises without financial penalty, if they needed or wanted to, before the proposed second runway opened.
• As noise boundaries are usually adopted for generalised blight schemes, HOSS adopted a predicted contour of 66 dBA Leq. This represented a medium to high noise annoyance, determined by the Government as the extent of potential blight that might occur due to the operation of the new runway in 2030. This was the level used on other major infrastructure developments, such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
• BAA promised to buy property at a market rate index-linked from June 2002, which is the time before extra runway capacity at the airport was considered, to prevailing price levels at the time of sale. The data used to assess this movement was taken from Land Registry published data of house price movements in the county of Essex.
• This was to ensure that homeowners who needed or wanted to move could sell their homes for the price they would have realised if the runway plans had not existed. The agreement would have been transferable to future home owners if current home owners sold before the runway had been given the go-ahead.

To contact Stansted Airport press office:
Tel: 01279 680534
E-mail:stanstedmediacentre@baa.com