Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the decision of the Secretary of State for Transport to expand Stansted Airport accords with the remarks by Baroness Andrews on 6 October (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 49) on the role of the Secretary of State in planning decisions and the length of time that would be taken to reach major planning decisions in the absence of the proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission.
Answer
The recent decision by the Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government and for Transport to allow for an increase in the number of flights and passengers using Stansted Airport was taken in accordance with Section 266 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The reasons for the decision are set out in decision letter of the Secretaries of State dated 8 October, copies of which are available in the House Libraries, together with The Planning Inspectorate's report. This was an important and complicated case. It was important that all the evidence was considered, along with other representations received, before any decision was taken. The Planning Inspectorate submitted its report in January 2008, following a public inquiry held between May and October 2007. In March 2008, the Departments for Communities and Local Government and for Transport asked for further information on local air quality issues, and in July 2008 they asked for views on the inspectorate's proposed night-noise condition. Ministers were involved throughout this process. The remarks made by Baroness Andrews on 6 October were in the context of a wide-ranging debate on how the reforms proposed in the Planning Bill would in future improve the decision-making process for major new infrastructure projects. They do not in any way call into question the particular decisions that have been taken under the current procedures.