Press Release - 22 May 2007

PHOTOCALL OPPORTUNITY (1)
8.30am – 9.30am, Wednesday 30 May
Opposite Endeavour House, Coopers End Road, Stansted Airport CM24 1SJ

(from M11 junction 8, follow airport terminal signs then yellow ‘Public Inquiry’ signs; shuttle bus available from airport terminal if travelling by public transport)

Opponents of the proposed expansion of Stansted Airport will be gathering in a show of unity immediately before the start of the Public Inquiry into BAA’s expansion proposals next Wednesday, 30 May.

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) spokesmen will be joined by members of the community from across the region who would be affected by the Stansted plans, as well as by representatives of other airport communities who are also facing expansion threats, including Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow. Representatives of the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Essex Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth, CPRE and Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings – all strongly opposed to the expansion plans for Stansted – will also be present.

SSE Chairman Peter Sanders and Campaign Director Carol Barbone will both be available for interview and can put media into contact with other spokesmen and individuals as required.

Media needing comment, interviews or pictures outside the core photocall period should contact Carol Barbone on M 0777 552 3091 or cbarbone@mxc.co.uk. Free parking is available on site for outside broadcast vehicles and media travelling by car, as well as for members of the public.

PHOTOCALL OPPORTUNITY (2)
10am, Wednesday 30 May
Second Floor, Endeavour House, Coopers End Road, Stansted Airport CM24 1SJ

The Public Inquiry Inspector Alan Boyland will allow interior filming and recording of the Inquiry from 9.50am-10am before official proceedings begin (10am). Queries regarding this scene setting opportunity should be directed to the Inquiry Programme Officer, Simon Osborn on (M) 07710 969411.

ENDS

BACKGROUND
BAA is seeking unlimited passenger use of the airport’s single runway, currently capped at 25 million passengers per annum, which could result in the eventual doubling passenger throughput and an increase in the number of flights from 192,000 (latest 12 months total) to 264,000 annually. Permission for the application was refused by Uttlesford District Council in November last year and the Public Inquiry will hear BAA’s appeal against that decision.

The opposition that Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has mounted to BAA’s plans represents the culmination of more than a year's work by a dedicated team of volunteers and external consultants, widely supported by the campaign’s 6500 members and beyond. With the Inquiry set to last into October, evidence exposing the true scale of environmental damage that would be caused by BAA's proposals and their negative impact upon the UK economy will be heard from scores of organisations and individuals, from parish, district and town councils, conservation and community groups to those fighting airport expansion elsewhere in the UK.

As a principal participant in the Public Inquiry, SSE will present evidence covering a range of issues from economics and employment, climate change and community cohesion to noise, health, road and rail impacts, air quality, water and air traffic forecasts. This will form the basis of the presentations which will be made in the second half of July, as well as the platform from which SSE’s barristers – Paul Stinchcombe and Sarah Hannett of 4-5 Grays Inn Square – will be cross-examining BAA’s witnesses earlier in proceedings. The latest version of the Inquiry timetable (still subject to change) can be accessed online at: Stansted Inquiry Programme

Apart from the local planning authority Uttlesford District Council and Herts and Essex County Councils, other key parties in the Inquiry giving evidence against BAA’s proposals are the Stansted Airlines Consultative Committee, National Trust, Friends of the Earth and Much Hadham Parish Council.

Following the Public Inquiry, the Inspector will submit his report and recommendation to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Secretary of State for Transport for decision.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Carol Barbone, Campaign Director, Stop Stansted Expansion: M 0777 552 3091 and cbarbone@mxc.co.uk

Stop Stansted Expansion Campaign Office: T 01279 870558 and info@stopstanstedexpansion.com and the Public Inquiry page