Essex County Council has effectively accepted the expansion of Stansted Airport to 40 million passengers a year in a bid to head off more runways.

Up to three new runways are proposed at the airport in current government consultation on the future of air transport in the south east.

Controversy raged at a full meeting of the Conservative-run county council on Tuesday when members agreed a response to the Government.

The suggested 10-point response, which objected to further runways at Stansted also accepted full use of present capacity at Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, pointing out that this would provide for 95 per cent of demand up to 2015.

The Stansted capacity was detailed at 40 million passengers.A number of Conservative councillors backed a Liberal Democrat amendment that the wording should be changed to state that the council "noted" that full use of the present airports would meet the required demand but this was outvoted.

One of the Tory rebels, Ongar's councillor Gerard McEwen, said: "I am ashamed to be a member of a council which has done that. I am sure a lot of members did not understand what was happening."

Tory cabinet member for planning, Cllr Peter Martin, said the future of the airport was "probably the most important issue affecting the future of our county.

"This was only an initial response", he said.

Published Thursday, December 12, 2002

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