The £25 million scheme at the airport on Romney Marsh will see the creation of a 294 metre runway extension with a 150m starter extension as well as a new terminal with the capacity to handle up to 500,000 passengers yearly.
The developments will enable the airport to accommodate passenger flights by aircraft up to the size of Boeing 737 or Airbus 319. At the moment, the airport can only accommodate those types of aircraft for private use or maintenance.
London Ashford Airport applied for planning permission for the expansion five years ago. The applications were approved by Shepway District Council in 2010 but were called in by the Secretaries of State for Transport and Communities and Local Government. The planning inquiry, which sat for 52 days during 2011, closed in September 2011.
The Secretaries of State said in their decision letter that they had given "significant weight" to the need to support economic growth through the planning system in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework.
They said that they were "satisfied that there would be no likely significant effects on any designated conversation sites" and also that the proposals "would not have a significant effect on nuclear safety, landscape or tranquillity".
The decision was welcomed by planning expert Richard Griffiths at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, whose team advised the Airport's owner.
“This is a significant decision by the Government following a long inquiry process," he said. "In granting planning permission, the Government has shown that, provided it can be demonstrated that the environmental impact is acceptable, the Government is prepared to support aviation expansion at small regional airports. This is a positive step for the aviation industry at a time when the industry is eagerly awaiting the interim report from the Davies Commission, expected later this year."
