Stansted Airport has been given permission to increase the number of passengers it serves each year.

Uttlesford Council approved plans to increase passengers from 35 million to 43 million each year.

The airport estimates this would create 5,000 new jobs, but campaigners said the plans would increase noise and environment pollution.

Uttlesford Council’s chairman, Alan Mills, made the casting vote last night after the vote was split.

Stansted CEO Ken O’Toole said: “We are delighted Uttlesford District Council has approved our planning application to enable the airport to grow over the next decade. “This will boost our region’s economic growth and deliver 5,000 additional jobs at London Stansted Airport.

“Today’s decision offers London Stansted and its airline partners the long-term clarity we need to make further investment decisions at the airport but also importantly provides the local community with the assurance that our future growth will be delivered in a measured and sustainable way.

“From the outset our local community has been a vital partner in this planning process and it was their feedback which lead us to put forward a proposal which did not seek an increase in the number of flights and committed to deliver the growth within a smaller noise footprint than our existing permissions require.”