Bristol City Council has formally voted to oppose the planned expansion
Protesters campaigning against Bristol Airport’s expansion(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
The latest plans to expand Bristol Airport to 15 million passengers a year have divided councillors in Bristol. The plans have now been formally opposed by a majority of councillors at Bristol City Council, although Labour abstained from a vote and the Tories backed the airport.
Bristol Airport is planning to expand from 10.5 million passengers a year at the moment to 15 million passengers. Two years ago the airport won permission from the High Court to expand to 12 million passengers, although that expansion still hasn’t been rolled out yet.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside City Hall ahead of the full council meeting on Tuesday, July 8. The Green Party successfully tabled a motion, calling for Bristol City Council to officially oppose the latest expansion plan of the airport. Green Councillor Izzy Russell, who tabled the motion, grew up in a village in Chew Valley very close to the airport.
She said: “I remember becoming aware of the airport and how damaging it is — having to stop our school lessons every time a plane flew over because it was too noisy, friends who couldn’t sleep at night due to night flights, seeing precious wildlife being increasingly encroached upon.
“Flights over Bristol, including night flights, will increase. Our air quality will worsen, our roads will become more congested. This airport expansion is not just a destruction of our environment, it represents the erosion of democracy.
“Time and time again we have made it clear that expansion is not wanted or needed. We must call on our region’s mayor, Helen Godwin. You voted against this airport expansion five years ago, will you stand with us now?”
Campaigners are concerned about the effect on climate change(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
She also called for a study exploring the cumulative effects of airports expanding across the country, so the combined increase in carbon dioxide emissions was clear, rather than looking at each expansion individually. She said that “sustainable aviation fuel” makes up less than three per cent of total aviation fuel, and electric and hydrogen planes are unfeasible any time soon.
The huge battle over whether the airport should expand to 12 million passengers lasted six years, from 2017 to 2023. This latest expansion plan is likely to rehearse similar arguments, although this time round the airport wants a longer runway, flights to the US and the Middle East, and even more flights late at night with the potential to stop neighbours from sleeping.
A multi-storey car park is under construction at the airport, as part of the current expansion plans. One problem with more passengers flying there is the narrow A38 leading from the airport into Bristol, with congestion forecasted to increase. Some form of new mass transit could be one answer, although this has long been discussed with little progress ever made.
According to Labour, even if the airport doesn’t expand, people will still want to fly to America or the Middle East, but they’ll just head down to London to do so instead. And travelling to places like Edinburgh would be better for the environment on the train than via a plane, but the cost and time of catching the train means that many passengers prefer to buy a cheap, quick flight.
Labour Cllr Susan Kollar said: “The world is heating up, we are in a climate emergency and the airport is a big contributor to emissions. But I’m not convinced that stopping one regional airport from expanding is the best way to reduce emissions. We need to decarbonise air travel and the best way to do this is tackling demand and providing alternatives.
“I don’t think you’ll get people deciding to ditch their holiday plans if they can’t fly directly from Bristol. They’ll just fly from Cardiff or London, and that means more emissions in that travel. I don’t think anyone should be flying from places like Bristol to places like Manchester. What we need is a high speed train there.”
She suggested that the government roll out a frequent flyer levy, saying that frequent flyers are responsible for almost two thirds of new passenger traffic. Labour councillors abstained from voting on the motion, which was supported by Liberal Democrats who voted in favour. The motion was opposed by Conservative councillors, highlighting the benefit to jobs in the area.
Conservative Cllr Richard Eddy said: “Bristolians will realise that [the Greens] have no desire to engage in grown up politics and are actively attacking Bristol’s long-term interests. Bristol Airport is a huge success and England’s third largest regional airport. It employs almost 6,000 people directly, many from South Bristol and almost 15,000 indirectly.”
The motion passed by the council won’t directly block the airport from expanding, but it does add a loud voice to the debate over whether it should go ahead. Bath and North East Somerset Council also recently passed a motion opposing the expansion.
In theory the decision on granting planning permission will be taken by North Somerset Council, although if they refuse the airport could appeal to the government’s Planning Inspectorate. And the last time, the High Court took the ultimate decision finally allowing the current expansion.