Bristol Airport expansion plans – to grow from 8m to 12m annual passengers – ‘can’t be at any cost’

Date added: 26 July, 2019

Bath and North East Somerset Council (Banes), which has declared a climate emergency, said tourism “cannot be at any cost”. The Canadian owners of Bristol Airport want to increase passenger numbers by 50%, from 8 million to 12 million passengers per annum. Further growth to 20 million passengers is in the pipeline.  This is just to allow people to take ever more leisure flights.  Bristol’s cabinet member for climate emergency, welcomed news the airport will reduce its direct emissions on the airport itself, but said “…it doesn’t alter the fact that expansion of air travel is inconsistent with having declared a climate emergency.” The main carbon emissions from airport expansion are due to the flights if facilitates, not the airport itself. The environmental impacts of tourism, including those on Bath and Bristol, cannot be allowed to continue, and growth “cannot be at any cost.”  More than 2,000 people have objected to the airport’s proposals, including Stop Bristol Airport Expansion, and Bath’s Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse. North Somerset Council will make a decision on the plans later this year.

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Bristol Airport expansion plans ‘can’t be at any cost’

  • 25 July 2019  (BBC)

One of the UK’s top tourist destinations has warned against expansion of a nearby airport.

Bath and North East Somerset Council (Banes), which has declared a climate emergency, said tourism “cannot be at any cost”.

Millions of tourists and day trippers visit the Georgian city each year.

Bristol Airport wants to expand to handle up to 12 million passengers a yearand has brought forward plans to make it “carbon neutral” by 2025.

“We need to plan ahead to ensure we can continue to meet demand for air travel to and from the region we serve,” it said.

The airport says it had responded to the climate emergency declarations by bringing forward its plan to reduce emissions in response to concerns made by neighbouring authorities.

Electric vehicles

This would put Bristol at the forefront of carbon reduction in the UK airport sector, it says.

It also plans an increased use of electric vehicles, a shift to renewable energy and increasing the cost of its drop-off parking as this is the “least sustainable way” to get to the airport.

Councillor Sarah Warren, Banes cabinet member for climate emergency, welcomed news the airport will reduce its direct emissions.

“It will be interesting to hear the fine details of their plans but it doesn’t alter the fact that expansion of air travel is inconsistent with having declared a climate emergency,” she said.

“While tourism is a vital sector of the economy sector… it cannot be at any cost. The challenge is to maintain the city as an important visitor destination while managing the environmental impacts of tourism.”

More than 2,000 people have objected to the proposals, including Stop Bristol Airport Expansion, and Bath’s Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse.

North Somerset Council will make a decision on the plans later this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-48988700

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Local campaign Stop Bristol Expansion says:

The Canadian owners of Bristol Airport want to increase passenger numbers by 50%, from 8 million to 12 million passengers per annum. Further growth to 20 million passengers is in the pipeline.

BRISTOL AIRPORT IS BIG ENOUGH !

Airport expansion will lead to:

  • Increased greenhouse gas emissions that offset other carbon savings
  • Gridlock on congested approach roads
  • Noise pollution day and night affecting health and well-being
  • Green belt destruction and other environmental harm
  • Parking sprawl as on-site and illegal field parking spreads

Airport expansion does not provide significant benefits to the region.
Only the overseas owners will profit.
North Somerset Council, which is responsible for Airport planning and regulation, NOW HAS NEW COUNCILLORS following the local elections on 2nd May. There’s much you can do to persuade them of the case against Airport expansion – see our ‘Take Action‘ page. 

PLANNING APPROVAL IS NOT YET A DONE DEAL.
THE DECISIVE MEETING OF NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL PLANNING & REGULATORY COMMITTEE HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR THE 6TH TIME AS ACTION GROUPS PUT FORWARD YET MORE INFORMATION AND ARGUMENTS AGAINST EXPANSION.

THE LATEST DATE (as at 15 July) NOW SEEMS TO BE SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER.

See more at

http://www.stopbristolairportexpansion.org/

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See earlier:

Crowdfunding appeal: Bristol Airport is Big Enough – Help Stop Further Expansion

July 2, 2019

Bristol Airport plans to significantly increase its passenger numbers, to grow eventually to 20 million passengers per year from a current level of 8.6 million.  A group of environmental campaigners and local residents are raising money – through crowdfunding – to fund an important legal challenge to the airport’s planning application, that is being dealt with by North Somerset Council.  The group hopes to employ a well respected barrister, Estelle Dehon, who is expert in environment and planning law (with particular expertise in climate change matters). She would be able to legally analyse the 400 plus planning documents on the application, on the Council’s planning website, and offer campaigners and the committee expert evidence for refusal. Estelle has previously worked on the Plan B fight against Heathrow’s third runway.  The coming decade is absolutely critical in averting the climate crisis that is upon us. Yet, that same decade is to be used by Bristol Airport to increase the carbon emissions of flights using the airport, by over 500,000 tonnes per year.  In addition to the carbon issue, many people in Bristol would be exposed to a range of air pollution substances, including NO2 and black carbon – as well as increased noise nuisance.

Click here to view full story…

Bristol airport hope to expand from 8 to 12 million annual passengers; 73% rise in CO2 emissions

January 18, 2019

Bristol Airport is hoping to expand. There is a consultation that started on 19th December, and ends on 26th January, on their plans. Details can be found here.  The headline application issue is a 50% growth in passengers – from the current 8.2 million per year, to 12 million by the mid 2020’s. Carbon emissions from flights are estimated to rise by 73% from 746 ktCO2 in 2017 to 1,290 ktCO2 with 12 million passengers. The increase in passengers will be achieved by de-restricting night flights up to 4,000 per year, expanding car parks, changing road lay outs, and building a multi-storey car park (persuasively capped with some wind turbines). There are further plans to raise passenger numbers to 20 million by 2040. There is a lot of local opposition, focused on issues such as congested roads, ‘parking blights’ (cars parked in lanes etc), other local environmental impacts, noise pollution – through the night and day. There are some minimal hyper-localised ‘Noise Insulation Grants’ (up to £5000 for glazing). The airport plans to get more income in from cafes, shops and car parking, to boost profits. Bristol Airport is entirely owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – it is not British owned at all.

Click here to view full story…

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Posted: Friday, July 26th, 2019. Filed in Climate Change News, News about Airports, Recent News.