{"id":575597,"date":"2025-11-17T06:08:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T06:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/575597\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T06:08:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T06:08:32","slug":"protesters-out-in-force-to-fight-bristol-airports-bid-to-expand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/575597\/","title":{"rendered":"Protesters out in force to fight Bristol Airport’s bid to expand"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘In the time between the planes, it\u2019s quiet, peaceful and bursting with nature’Felton villagers are angry about Bristol Airport’s plan to extend the airport onto Felton Common PHOTO:PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach Plc(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n

The owners of an ancient common which has a history dating back thousands of years have said they are seeking legal advice after Bristol Airport<\/a> announced it would need to use some of the land to install huge lights<\/a> for aircraft approaching an extended runway.<\/p>\n

And on Felton Common, local residents around it are gearing up for another fight against their noisy neighbours on the other side of the A38.<\/p>\n

One described the announcement that the airport has announced its plans to commandeer part of the ancient common<\/a> as \u2018gobsmacking\u2019, with speculation that the very future of the airport\u2019s expansion plans hinge on the future of the common next door. Earlier this month, Bristol Airport announced there was a PS to its \u2018Master Plan\u2019<\/a> to expand the airport for the second time this decade.<\/p>\n

The first expansion from a capacity of nine million passengers a year to 12 million was, eventually, given the go-ahead in 2022 after years of argument, and since then visitors to Bristol Airport have navigated through what is effectively a huge building site as much of the car parks are redeveloped with a transport hub created.<\/p>\n

Felton villagers out in force(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n

Before the expansion has been finished, the airport unveiled a second plan a year ago<\/a> to increase that capacity to 15 million passengers a year. This would also see the runway lengthened, to be able to accommodate the bigger planes that are used for long haul flights to North America and the Middle East.<\/p>\n

A year later, and Bristol Airport added a detail to their Master Plan<\/a>. Extending the runway much closer to the A38 would require also moving the approach landing lights, which currently sit in the space between the main road and the current runway end. The approach landing lights would instead need to be sited on the east side of the A38, on Felton Common.<\/p>\n

Protesters young and old were out(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n

Winford Parish Council, the owner of Felton Common, has been left surprised by the airport\u2019s sudden announcement that it would be needing some of the land. The airport is offering more land nearby to make up for the land on the common they are taking, but the question for Winford Parish Council\u2019s chair Paul Hatherall and the other councillors is whether, as landowners, they can simply say \u2018no\u2019 to the airport\u2019s request for land.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe current view from the A38 looking west towards the end of the runway at Bristol Airport. Bristol Airport wants to extend the runway closer to the A38 and move approach landing lights onto Felton Common(Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the parish council said they, and local North Somerset<\/a> councillor Annemieke Waite, were \u2018extremely disappointed\u2019 that Bristol Airport is seeking to erect landing lights on Felton Common.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is particularly surprising given that the proposal was not included in the Airport\u2019s Masterplan which was released as recently as June this year,\u201d they said. \u201cThe proposal, along with an extension of the runway towards Felton Common, represents a total lack of understanding by the airport as to the significance of Felton Common for our local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as providing 100 acres of recreational space, Felton Common is a site of nature conservation and has a number of important archaeological features, including Ancient Monuments.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Fury as Bristol Airport reveals plan to expand on to nature reserve next door<\/a>READ MORE: Bristol Airport plans to launch direct US flights as part of major redevelopment<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWinford Parish Council and District Councillor Waite strongly object to these proposals and as proud Trustees of the Common, Winford Parish Council are in the process of seeking legal advice to protect Felton Common from any negative impact resulting from the Airport\u2019s recent expansion plans,\u201d they said, adding an encouragement to residents to engage in the consultation process announced by the airport.<\/p>\n

One of those unhappy with the plan(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n

That consultation is online, began last Friday and will run until the Friday before Christmas. Bristol Airport played down the impact of putting the lights on the common, and said almost all of the area would be unaffected, and people will still be able to walk dogs, ride horses and walk around the common as they do now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile only small areas of the Common would be required for the lighting, we realise how important the open space is to local people, and so we are consulting with those with rights on the Common, users of the Common and local residents,\u201d a spokesperson for Bristol Airport added.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe approach to Bristol Airport from the east. the village of Winford is in the bottom right, with Felton Common in the foreground, the A38 road and then the airport runway. Bristol Airport wants to extend the runway closer to the A38 and move approach landing lights onto Felton Common(Image: Google Earth)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would encourage people to find out more about our proposal and provide any feedback they might have to help shape our plans,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince publishing the Master Plan the Airport has continued to refine its design to ensure it meets all relevant safety standards set by the Civil Aviation Authority, the UK\u2019s independent regulator for aviation,\u201d a spokesperson for the airport explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order for the runway to continue operating safely, for all types of aircraft and in all weather<\/a> conditions, the airport would need to relocate the existing approach lighting and install additional safety features at the eastern end of the runway. This is required in order to facilitate the new routes to America and the Middle East \u2013 key destinations that people in the region are keen to visit using their local airport,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

What is Felton Common?<\/p>\n

Felton Common covers around 100 acres and has a series of things that, in the eyes of the people of the villages of Felton and Winford, make it special. It contains a series of Neolithic burial sites, that local historian Bridget Smith described as \u2018a rich share of mounds and barrows\u2019.<\/p>\n

She wrote a comprehensive guide to Felton Common back in 2014, and wrote of how it had been owned by the Lord of the Manor in medieval times, somehow survived the Enclosure Acts of the 18th and 19th centuries and had around 20 local people with grazing rights at the turn of the century.<\/p>\n

In 1925, exactly 100 years ago, the then Lord of the Manor was struggling to deal with the costs of trying to evict Gypsies from the land every year, so it was handed over to be owned instead by Winford Parish Council, the local council that covers many of the villages to the east of the airport.<\/p>\n

By the end of the 20th century, its main purpose as a place for people to graze their animals decreased, and a new priority began – to manage the common for wildlife, while at the same time make it better for people to walk their dogs, ride their horses and just enjoy the nature.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an SNCI – a Site of Nature Conservation – has a load of Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and is a designated open space.<\/p>\n

\"AA group of local residents and campaigners from Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) protest about the number of night flights at Bristol Airport – in a picture taken on Felton Common. In November 2025, the airport said its expansion plans would now also include using parts of Felton Common for approach landing lights(Image: Bristol Airport Action Network)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually a really, really lovely spot,\u201d said local resident Ben Moss. \u201cObviously when a plane flies over and in to land, you\u2019re reminded what is on the other side of the hedge, but in the time between the planes, it\u2019s quiet, peaceful and bursting with nature. Ecologically, it\u2019s really valuable. The Wildlife Trust is partnered with the parish council to manage it, and it\u2019s actually quite unusual in that it\u2019s a bit of the Green Belt that is publicly-owned, open space rather than privately-owned,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m passionate about keeping this area of land as it is, and I was very surprised when I saw what the airport said. It looks to me that someone at the airport dropped the ball, as I can\u2019t understand how no one realised they would need to move the landing lights if they lengthened the runway. It\u2019s a gobsmacking turn of events,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to fight hard to protect this common. For a lot of people it\u2019s a place you go to walk the dog, have a picnic on a nice day, go for a walk, or go for a jog. It\u2019s really important to all the people who live around here,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful open space.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1925, when Winford Parish Council took over Felton Common, a future battle over its use to guide planes flying in from Dubai 100 years later would have been unthinkable. When Bridget Smith wrote her guide to Felton Common, it was something she foresaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe common has an ambivalent relationship with its nearest neighbour, Bristol Airport, established here in 1957 and a comparative newcomer on the scene,\u201d she wrote prophetically in 2014. \u201cOn the one hand over the years the common has benefited from many financial donations from BA, most notably the entire cost of resurfacing the church track in 2006, a large contribution towards the cost of land management prior to the Stewardship grant coming on stream and a substantial gift towards the cost of the tree sculpture.<\/p>\n

\u201cBA has also consulted WPC on the management of the long neglected hedge on the west boundary, which is the responsibility of the airport. On the other hand, the abuse of the common by the unauthorised parking of airport taxis and others is an ongoing and growing irritant,\u201d she said in 2014. \u201cOver all hangs the threat of a sometime extension of the runway onto the common, a concern which comes and goes. As at 2013 there are no plans to extend the runway: the 1980 plans have been dropped and the present runway is suitable for all aircraft likely to use the airport,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Now, Bridget Smith\u2019s status quo from 11 or 12 years ago is in under threat again. Ben Moss said the impact on Felton Common will be big. \u201cThere is no doubt the wildlife will be affected by this,\u201d added Mr Moss. \u201cWe\u2019re talking massive lights, which will be in a line deep into the common, and surrounded by a big fence. It\u2019s obviously not all of the common, but it will drastically affect the way people and nature exist on the common.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe airport are saying it\u2019s a minor development, and it can be mitigated by providing other land, but we think this isn\u2019t just a minor development. You can\u2019t take a common to be an airport,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe approach to Bristol Airport from the east. the village of Winford is in the bottom right, with Felton Common in the foreground, the A38 road and then the airport runway. Bristol Airport wants to extend the runway closer to the A38 and move approach landing lights onto Felton Common(Image: Google Earth)<\/p>\n

In the late 2010s, in the fight against the first Bristol Airport expansion, local residents, councils and parish councillors around the airport joined together with environmentalists from further afield to form a coalition. Villagers found a common ground with the eco-activists in the city who oppose more air travel and airport expansions from a more global perspective, and that campaign saw legal challenges up to the higher courts, in what was ultimately a failed bid to stop the expansion.<\/p>\n

That coalition continues, with campaigns against night flights and too many flights that arrive after the curfew, and now this second expansion has breathed renewed life into the Bristol Airport Action Network.<\/p>\n

Many hope that the battle over Felton Common could prove pivotal – if Winford Parish Council and local residents can stop the use of the ancient common for landing lights, then that might mean the runway can\u2019t be expanded, which would mean the airport\u2019s Master Plan is no longer viable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘In the time between the planes, it\u2019s quiet, peaceful and bursting with nature’Felton villagers are angry about Bristol…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,21283,748,3087,393,4884,956,11157,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-575597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-bristol-airport","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-british-airways","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-north-somerset","15":"tag-north-somerset-council","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115563550178733285","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}