A date for an inquiry into the development of one of Britain's major airports will be announced by the end of next month.
Plans to add a second runway to Stansted Airport, near Chelmsford, Essex, were due to be considered but the hearing was put back last month.
Now the Department for Communities and Local Government has set a new timetable for the public inquiry.
"We will announce by the end of next month when the inquiry will start," said a spokesman. "There will then be a minimum of eight weeks between the announcement and the start of the inquiry."
The spokesman said the hearing had been held up to allow Stansted owner BAA to consider the implications of a Competition Commission ruling that said the airport should be sold.
Four local councils have written to Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, calling for the scheme to be scrapped.
John Jowers, an Essex county councillor, said: "Going ahead with a public inquiry into a second runway at Stansted would be a travesty and hugely wasteful of public money at a time when the public purse is extremely tight. The planning application for a second runway is now completely unviable with the applicant, BAA, now being forced to sell Stansted and predictions of falling passenger demand turning into a reality.
"While the minister may consider herself unable to cancel the public inquiry, no matter how hopeless the application seems, we would ask her to use her influence to bring this process finally to an end."
The letter was sent on behalf of Essex and Hertfordshire county councils and East Herts and Uttlesford district councils.
The authorities are among 10 that have joined forces to form the campaign group CO2, which is opposing the plans.
