Following a lengthy Public Inquiry in 2011, the Secretary of State granted planning permission for a new passenger terminal, runway extension and consent for up to 40,000 aircraft movements per year, allowing commercial jets, such as Boeing 737 500s, to operate from the airport.
Managing Director, Clive Self, presented evidence to the Inquiry on the impact of the development and in particular the effects of increased aircraft movements on tranquillity and landscape character. The Inspector noted ‘that despite strong objection to the scheme from the CPRE and local action groups the applicant had provided the only expert assessment of the effects of the development on tranquillity and landscape’.