menu
menu
There is one week left to respond to a planning consultation on Bristol Airport’s expansion plans, which closes on 26 January. Green councillors have released their response (attached) which challenges the expansion of the airport due to its impact on the climate and the local area and argues that it should not be allowed.
Southville Councillor Stephen Clarke, lead author on the Green group’s response, said:
“This enormous planned expansion of Bristol Airport from 8m passengers per year to 12m comes at exactly the same time as Bristol has just agreed to aim for carbon neutrality by 2030 and at exactly the wrong time for the planet. The planned expansion would hugely impact on both the area around the airport and the people of Bristol. It would lead to additional congestion on the A38 and surrounding rural roads, tarmac over Green Belt land for car parks, permit around 4000 night flights disturbing sleep, and release a large quantity of local air pollution which could potentially cause severe health issues.
“This massive increase in carbon emissions is totally incompatible with our need to reduce emissions as fast as possible to avoid the most dangerous levels of climate breakdown. This expansion must not be allowed.”
Green councillor candidate for North Somerset Bridget Petty said:
“Bristol airport is not well enough connected to public transport to handle this growth, so expansion will cause a massive increase in car traffic. The airport is already large enough to serve the community well and it doesn’t need to be bigger. 12 million passengers are referred to in the planning application but the airport’s master plan is to increase numbers to 20 million and that is just scary, for its impact on the local area as well as on the global climate.
“As a parent, I fear for the future of my children if reckless decisions about growth are made without considering the lasting consequences. We know that air travel is a massive contributor to climate change – this kind of important decision must be considered by more than a small group of individuals. Now is the time for people to get involved and have their say on the airport’s expansion plans.”
Background
– The planning application can be found here.
– Climate campaigners Extinction Rebellion have created a guide to responding to the planning application which can be found here.