In December 2017, the Applicant publicly launched its ‘Vision for Sustainable Growth 2020-2050’ for the airport. Since then, the design for the Proposed Development has been developed through an iterative process, referred to as ‘sifts’, to identify a preferred option. The identification and appraisal of alternative options has been a key part of the EIA process to ensure that environmental considerations are built into the project design at the earliest possible stage.
Several options for the Proposed Development, including a preferred option, were presented at the non-statutory consultation held in summer 2018. Subsequently, feedback from the non-statutory consultation was analysed to inform further design development. Refined proposals were presented at 2019 Statutory Consultation, which ran from 16 October to 16 December 2019.
A number of changes have been made to the Proposed Development since the 2019 Statutory Consultation, in response to feedback received, and as a result of a review of the project proposals. The changes include (but are not limited to):
- inclusion of a new Airport Access Road and improvements to the Airport Way/Percival Way junction as part of the application for development consent, which changes the development boundary for the application;
- a range of sustainability design measures, including additional solar energy production and water efficiency measures;
- improvements to the replacement open space for Wigmore Valley Park to protect more valued existing habitat and landscape features, provide improved enclosure and screening to development at the airport, improve connectivity to the existing parkland areas to be retained, and to reposition it nearer to the community it serves;
- reducing the size of the platform needed to bring the expanded airport level with the runway, meaning a reduction in earthworks (engineering works involving moving and excavating earth);
- reconfiguring taxiways, reducing aircraft parking stands, and re-positioning the engine run-up bay with noise barriers;
- reducing the footprint of the proposed car parking; and
- a new approach to managing the potential effects of future expansion, called Green Controlled Growth – details about this can be found in the Draft Green Controlled Growth document published with this consultation.