Luton Airport expansion

The project is of a size and scale that it meets the thresholds to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. That means Luton Rising (previously London Luton Airport Ltd, LLAL) must apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO). The application will be examined by the Planning Inspectorate and decided by the Secretary of State for Transport.

Non-Statutory Consultation

LLAL reviewed responses to the Non-Statutory Consultation. They consulted with local stakeholders, leading to a preferred scheme.

LLAL undertook their Statutory DCO Consultation in the December 2019 to expand the airport from its current 18 million passengers per annum to 32 million. The former Buckinghamshire County Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council responded to this consultation. The principal issues were concerns about aircraft noise in the tranquil environment of north Buckinghamshire including the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Since 2019, the expansion has been under review due to changes in conditions including:

• Brexit
• climate change emergency
• Covid-19
• the challenge to the third runway at Heathrow

Luton Rising has undertaken a statutory consultation entitled Future LuToN, proposing increasing the capacity of the airport to 32 million passengers per annum by expanding terminal 1 and building a second terminal and associated facilities. Buckinghamshire Council has submitted a response to this consultation in April 2022.

This is a precursor to the formal DCO submission scheduled for late summer 2022.

The Examination into the DCO opened in July 2023 and closed in February 2024.

View correspondence in relation to the Examination and the documents submitted by interested parties on the Planning Inspectorate's website in respect of the DCO.

The Planning Inspectorate (as the Examining Authority) will provide it's recommendation by 10 May 2024 to the Secretary of State for Transport.

The Minister, on behalf of the Government, will then make a decision on the DCO in the late summer of this year. The recommendation and decision will be published in due course on the Planning Inspectorate's website in respect of the DCO.