SSE has responded to the first stage of the Government's two year-process for developing a new aviation policy for the UK. Insofar as this will set down a blueprint for the future of Stansted Airport, it could have far reaching effects for the local community and it is therefore vital that we ensure that our voices are heard.

We have welcomed the recognition by the Secretary of State that the 2003 Air Transport White Paper policy is now fundamentally out of date and the fact that development of the new policy takes as its starting point the premise of no new runways in the south east.

However, the emphasis on expanding aviation as an economic driver for the UK sets alarm bells ringing about the degree to which those who live in the shadow of the airport and its flight paths will really be protected.

With Stansted permitted to handle 35m passengers a year now (and an actual throughput of only 18m at present), we fully expect BAA to be laying foundations (if not asking outright) for a move to increase permitted capacity beyond that level, perhaps to as much as 50m passengers a year.

The first stage of the current consultation is entitled 'Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation' and is available online at www.dft.gov.uk. It poses a series of questions around three themes linking aviation to the economy, climate change and the local environment. Responses will be taken forward by the Government in the development of the draft policy which will appear next March for consultation before implementation in the spring of 2013.

The Department for Transport's response to the Committee on Climate Change report on reducing aviation emissions to 2050 has now been published too. The response, as well as an assessment of the relative cost-effectiveness and abatement potential of different measures for reducing UK aviation CO2 emissions out to 2050, can be found here. The DfT has also published updated forecasts for UK air passengers and UK aviation CO2 emissions to 2050, and these can be found here.