Stansted Airport facts There has been a passenger airport at Stansted since 1947 when it was handed over by the US airforce who used it as a WW II base A 1967 government White Paper proposed Stansted as the third London international airport to cater for 15 million passengers The proposal was given planning permission in December 1984 after a lengthy public inquiry A new terminal was opened in 1991 In December 2003 a government White Paper proposes an extra runway for Stansted Airport

Richard Dyer, assistant transport campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said: "The new runway at Stansted will mean increasing the misery of noise and air pollution for local communities in the area and its totally unnecessary.

"Friends of the Earth has shown that no new runways are needed anywhere in the UK if the aviation industry paid fair tax on its fuel and VAT."

But the scheme has been given the backing of some businesses in Cambridgeshire and Essex.

Chris Sturgess, manager of the Cross Keys Hotel in Saffron Walden, told BBC News Online he was delighted with the news.

"I think it will be fantastic for business and it will bring new jobs to the area, as well as a lot more housing," he said.

"About 50% of our trade comes through the airport and our increase in business will not just be from people travelling, but also construction workers and builders coming to the area (and using the hotel)."

Michael Wiseman, chairman of the Cambridge Retail and Commercial Association, said: "I think this is good news for the area, provided the transport infrastructure is there to meet the added demands.

"We have got to face up to the facts that more people are flying, so we need it (the runway)."

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has battled runway expansion.

Philip Venning, SPAB secretary, told BBC News Online the announcement on Tuesday was "very bad news for Britain's built heritage".

Waltham Manor and The Grange, both scheduled ancient monuments, are in the path of the new runway, along with 29 listed Grade II buildings.

Mr Venning said: "I cannot recall a case of equivalent damage to our built heritage from any private or public scheme.

"Even the Channel Tunnel rail link did not affect buildings on this scale."

Mr Venning said it was not always plausible to relocate buildings, because "a lot of historic fabric is lost" in the process of dismantling and re-erecting the structures.