THE Government's green light for growth at Stansted Airport has been described as a body blow for the community.
Hopes are now being pinned on a painstaking legal review of today's (Thursday October 9) verdict as opponents look for a loophole in the Department for Transport decision to allow 10m more travellers a year.
As BAA bosses celebrated a resounding victory, Cllr Jim Ketteridge, the Tory leader of Uttlesford District Council, reflected on his authority's failure to convince a planning inspector it was right to refuse permission for up to 35m passengers a year.
He said: "This decision on the existing runway is a blow for the community. It demonstrates that the Government has failed to listen to the clear message from the people."
Contemplating next year's battle against a second runway and 68m passengers a year by 2030, he vowed: "We may not have won this battle, but with the help of our local authority partners we will do everything we can to win the war."
His view was backed by Stop Stansted Expansion, which also fought at the public inquiry last year. The campaigners described the decision as "entirely predictable, cynical and unjustified".
Chairman Peter Sanders warned: "The Government's determination to approve this application could prove to be its undoing.
"The flaws in the process and the rationale given by the Government in reaching its decision may well provide scope for challenge. That is why we are seeking advice from our legal advisers. We have six weeks to decide whether to appeal."
In stark contrast, Stansted's managing director, Stewart Wingate, said: "We are naturally delighted with this decision, coming as it does after a full and independent public inquiry last year.
"With longer-term forecasts predicting passenger growth, this decision secures our future and allows us to plan ahead with certainty. We will now take time to study the full detail of the decision, including the independent planning inspector's report, before commenting further.
"What we can say today, however, is that this is great news for the millions of leisure and business travellers who depend on Stansted to keep them connected with Europe and the wider world."
The Government's decision to vary the existing planning permission means Stansted's yearly passengers limit is increased from a maximum of 25m to 35m, while flights can grow from a cap of 241,000 to 264,000. Currently the airport handles 23.5m passengers a year and has 184,000 flights.
The potential increases have also been condemned by the World Development Movement. The organisation's climate change policy officer, Tim Jones, said: "It's sickening to learn that the Government is supporting this expansion, which will only worsen the impact of climate change on the world's poorest people.
"How ironic and sad that in the future, Stansted will generate more CO2 than Tanzania, where it is estimated that already 4,000 people die every year from climate change-related causes.
"Only two days ago, the influential committee on climate change demanded that emissions must be cut by 80 per cent. This move flies directly in the face of this recommendation. It's simply irresponsible and unfathomable."