Green light for Bristol Airport’s controversial expansion plans
Bristol Airport’s expansion plans have been granted on appeal by the government after being refused permission by the local council.
It will see the airport increase its current capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers per year, the BBC reports.
David Lees, the airport's chief executive, welcomed the decision by the Planning Inspectorate.
He said: "The decision is excellent news for our region’s economy, allowing us to create thousands of new jobs in the years ahead and provide more choice for our customers, supporting inbound tourism, and reducing the millions of road journeys made to London airports each year.
"We will now push ahead with our multi-million-pound plans for net zero operations by 2030 and look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver sustainable growth.”
Critics of the expansion, however, have branded the appeal result “disastrous” and “extremely disappointing”.
North Somerset Council leader Don Davies expressed his “extreme disappointment” and said the decision after a 36-day inquiry “flies in the face of local democracy”.
Reacting to the news following an adjournment in the council’s executive meeting, Councillor Davies said: “The refusal was based on firm planning grounds and the belief the detrimental effect of the expansion of the airport on this area and the wider impact on the impacts on the environment outweighed the narrower benefits of airport expansion, which sit almost entirely in the commercial interests of the owners, a foreign pension fund.”
The airport is owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg is among those who celebrated the decision taken by North Somerset Council in 2020 to scrap the expansion plans, telling a Bristol rally: "If enough people are fighting for change, then change will come, and every single person counts. Just look at Bristol as an example. The other week, the plans to expand Bristol Airport were cancelled - a lot thanks to climate activists."
The reversal of that decision has drawn criticism from environmental groups.
Stephen Clarke, from Bristol Airport Action Network, told the BBC: “This is going to have a huge impact on the climate.”
Mr Clarke continued: “Up to 20,000 extra planes a year, 10,000 extra car journeys a day, more night flights than Heathrow - how can that be right?
"Boris Johnson told us at COP26 we are one minute to midnight.
"Well, we are a little bit closer to midnight now because there are a lot of other regional airports expanding behind this decision.”
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “I am dismayed but not at all surprised by this decision. The government's lack of green policy on UK airport expansion has resulted in inspectors ignoring the voices of local people.”
How bad is flying for the environment?
The aviation industry is responsible for around 5% of global warming, according to the BBC.
Research by Lund University has found that reducing flying is one of the most effective ways for an individual to minimise their carbon footprint. According to the study, avoiding just one transatlantic flight saves 8 times more greenhouse gas emissions than recycling. For comparison, eating a plant-based diet saves 4 times more.
However, with the technology for electric-powered aviation a long way off, and the demand for air transport expected to increase by an average of 4.3% per annum over the next 20 years, it seems that solving the aviation conundrum is unlikely for now.
Politicians are, as ever, content to kick the can down the road. UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak courted controversy in 2021 by slashing air passenger duty for short haul flights just days before the UK hosted the COP26 climate summit.
