BRS sale
This was alluded to in this thread in early March when Times Online first reported that Macquarie was anxious to offload some of its assets, with BRS stated to be a likely candidate.
The latest Times Online report suggests the price of the airport will have fallen for two main reasons: lots of assets being put onto the market at the moment and the dramatic fall in passenger numbers over the past few months.
Assuming the airport is sold, the new owner may be content to let the planning applications continue. They are likely to take a long time to be determined, with a public enquiry/appeals/legal challenges likely. If the final decison was in the airport's favour the world economic situation might be better in a couple of years' time.
The one small comfort for passengers is that the drop in numbers means there will be a little bit more room in the terminal this summer at the busy times, and it might be a year or two before numbers build again to a level where a terminal expansion is extremely desirable.