London City Airport: Plans for expansion rejected by Newham councillors

Plans to increase passenger numbers and extend Saturday operating hours at London City Airport have been refused by Newham Council.

The proposals, which included upping the cap on annual passengers from 6.5 million to 9 million, extending the Saturday operating hours into the evening, and increasing the limits on early-morning flights, have attracted serious concerns around noise interference and carbon emissions.

Out of 1,719 responses to a public consultation run earlier this year, there were just 75 in support, with 1,633 objecting and three neither way. Nine affected boroughs, including Redbridge, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, also objected to the plans.

London City Airport stated the expansion would open up more local job prospects and incentivise investment in quieter and more efficient planes, with no significant increase in noise.

London City Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair told Newham Council’s strategic development committee the organisation has “worked incredibly hard and thought incredibly hard about achieving the right balance, recognising the interests of local residents, and how we can improve the environmental impact of our operations, in particular noise and operations”.

Several residents also spoke in favour of the extension, primarily citing the economic impact the airport has had on the local area. However, the Labour-dominated committee decided to agree with the recommendation provided by officers and reject the proposals.

The grounds given to refuse the expansion were that the changes to the Saturday curfew would “result in significant harm to the residential amenity of nearby residential properties”, and that there is currently no Section 106 agreement in place, which would be necessary to secure benefits from the airport such as financial contributions.

Chaired by Cllr Rachel Tripp, the committee queried the airport’s claim the proposals would result in no significant noise increase, and whether current demand warranted the extension.

A handful of residents and councillors also voiced their concerns with the plans, including Nate Higgins, the Newham Green Party co-chair and councillor for Stratford Olympic Park.

He described the airport as “a blight on residents and an inexcusable misuse of land in such a densely populated London borough with exceptional links to central London. There is so much potential for this area but it is being held back by a polluting airport which is causing misery for residents and is used by so few.

“Instead, we’re discussing an expansion which will exacerbate disruption and affect residents who are already unhappy about noise pollution caused by the airport. This proposal will only add to their grievances, replacing much needed respite on Saturdays with further disturbance.”

The committee voted unanimously to reject the proposals. It will now be referred to the Greater London Authority (GLA), for a final decision.