According to 'sources' handover to Harrods is scheduled by 31st October this year but could be earlier that month.
What's interesting is that the 'new' cargo apron will actually accommodate less aircraft as it will have just two A300/B767 stands also capable of accommodating three B757/B737 aircraft. It looks as though the rumoured ressurgence of LTN's cargo business is now seen as being of secondary importance to servicing the likes of Harrods and therefore, Silverjet (which will take up residence on the South Apron after Harrods vacates and apparently, after some stand realignment work to enable up to four B767s to park at the same time on that apron).
The 'new' Cargo Apron will have - as a condition of the council's planning consent - a 'noise bund' constructed along the northern boundary (the apron will be several meters further north and so marginally closer to the residential areas to the north of the Airport) and it's also believed that there may be some additional restrictions imposed on overnight jet movements (similar to the restrictions imposed on the T4 aprons at LHR i.e. no jet engine or auxilliary power unit noise or towing on/off the stands, between midnight and 6am). Therefore, the actual 'disturbance factor' to local residents will almost certainly be reduced from what they might currently experience from the current cargo flights at night.
What all this certainly appears to suggest is that any large-scale expansion of cargo at LTN is effectively ruled-out - presumably a deliberate business decision taken by LLAO, and maybe a policy tacitly agreed with and supported by the Council because the majority of these flights take place overnight...
