Stansted Airport wants to build solar farm to power site

Stansted hopes to expand passenger numbers to 43 million a year

One of the UK's busiest airports has applied to build a solar farm which would provide all of its electricity.

London Stansted Airport wants to build the facility on agricultural land in Takeley, Essex, owned by its parent company Manchester Airport Group.

The plans have gone straight to the government and Uttlesford District Council said it would retain a neutral position over the proposal.

A decision will be made by the Planning Inspectorate.

According to the figures from the Civil Aviation Authority, Stansted was the second busiest airport in the UK in 2021.

A report to the council said the proposed solar farm would meet the current and future electricity needs of the airport, of which 87% of its power use is supplied by electricity.

There would also be five on-site battery storage units for outside of peak production hours, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The solar farm would have a lifespan of 25-30 years before being decommissioned, and the land returned to agricultural use, according to the report.

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At a meeting of Uttlesford District Council, concerns were raised over the farm's location in the countryside protection zone - a belt of land designed to separate neighbouring towns and villages from the airport, which is just off the M11.

Geoff Bagnall, from the council's ruling Residents for Uttlesford group, said he saw "no benefit for the district or wider community other than the fact that it provides electricity for an employment site within the district".

But Conservative councillor Mark Lemon said: "We are arguing all the time we must become greener.

"This is an effort I think for the airport to be self-sufficient in their energy and in my opinion that does carry quite a lot of weight."

Stansted won an appeal against Uttlesford District Council in 2021, allowing it to expand to 43 million passengers a year.