PLANS for growth at Stansted Airport will underpin Cambridgeshire s status as a centre for innovation and technology. Cambridge has the highest concentration of bio-tech firms outside of the US and many of the international companies investing and operati

PLANS for growth at Stansted Airport will underpin Cambridgeshire's status as a centre for innovation and technology.

Cambridge has the highest concentration of bio-tech firms outside of the US and many of the international companies investing and operating in Cambridgeshire are here because they rely on effective transport links Stansted provides.

With increasing globalisation, many businesses, are increasingly international in their outlook so the importance of air transport has grown significantly.

A recent survey by the British Chambers of Commerce found about 90 per cent of businesses use the air transport network for travel purposes and almost half have seen air usage increase in five years.

For the UK to effectively compete internationally, an infrastructure is needed which enables business to have easy access to international markets to match the capabilities of other countries.

There are currently other important infrastructure projects which are being held back through the planning process due to excessive demands of small interest groups.

The Barker Review correctly identified the damage that the current regime is doing to economic growth in the UK. The Government should now take the planning decision out of the hands of local councils and give it to an independent, national body as Barker recommends.

JOHN BRIDGE

Chief executive

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce