Residents from east Belfast have welcomed a tough stance taken by the Planning Appeals Commission, which has this week halted the public inquiry into the proposed runway extension at George Best Belfast City Airport.

In a highly unusual move, the Commission has refused to go any further with the inquiry until the Department of the Environment obtains more robust and complete noise-related environmental data from the airport.

The Department's Planning Service had suggested the airport could submit further information once the inquiry hearings were underway, but the Commission has refused to accept this proposal, making it clear this could give rise to an undue delay.

Reacting to the news, Dr Liz Fawcett, Chair of the Belfast City Airport Watch Steering Group, said: "We are really glad that the Commission has stood its ground against a shameful proposal by the Planning Service which would have given a really unfair advantage to the airport.

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"Had the airport been allowed to submit further information at the last minute, residents and other objectors would have had scant time to scrutinise it properly and we would have been at a real disadvantage.

"We're also glad that the Commission has seen the patent flaws in the noise data submitted to date by the airport – information which was heavily criticised by the Civil Aviation Authority in a report commissioned and initially suppressed by the Planning Service."

The detailed Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) report was heavily critical of vital noise information submitted by the airport in support of its plan.

Belfast City Airport Watch opposes the runway extension proposal because an extended runway would enable planes to carry larger loads of passengers and fuel, leading to heavier aircraft and greater levels of noise.

The proposal would also enable the airport to greatly expand its operations.

In its letter to the Planning Service informing it of its decision to delay the inquiry, the Commission also refers to the need for fuller information on comments received from objectors and supporters to the airport's application.

(BMcC/GK)