Councillors on Bath & North East Somerset Council have reaffirmed their opposition to the expansion of Bristol Airport.
Bristol Airport has been planing its expansion for the past few years | Image © Bristol Airport
Meeting at the Guildhall in Bath on Thursday 21st July, councillors highlighted the impacts of the airport on local residents, including pollution, noise and traffic, as well as the contribution of aviation to the climate crisis.
Councillors from all political parties voted to support the motion, which also recognised the conflict between airport expansion and the action being taken by councils across the West of England to tackle the Climate Emergency.
The vote comes ahead of a High Court planning review of Bristol Airport’s plans later this year.
They have also called for all airport growth applications to be considered on a national and cumulative basis.
Councillor Shelley Bromley, who proposed the motion, commented: “The Inspector’s decision at appeal to allow Bristol Airport’s plans for an extra 2 million passengers a year has caused widespread local dismay.
“It not only flies in the face of local democracy, but also of all attempts to tackle the Climate Emergency, not least the government’s own stated aims of achieving zero carbon by 2050.
“Local residents already suffer from noise, pollution and traffic congestion related to the airport. These problems will only get worse with the planned additional flights and passengers.
“Bristol Airport Action Network are now taking the decision to the High Court, and I am delighted B&NES Council has agreed to back them.
“The Airport’s expansion plans should be rejected as they will hinder the UK government’s stated aims to reach Net Zero by 2050 by adding to dangerous pollution levels, are contrary to local Councils’ Climate Emergency declarations and are not supported by the very poor access routes to the airport and lack of affordable mass transit options.
“B&NES Council has called on the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to “call in” the expansion for an inquiry and consider all airport expansion applications on a national rather than an individual basis.”
Councillor Sarah Warren, Cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel, added: “The Climate Change Committee has said the government should assess airport capacity on a national basis in the context of Net Zero, rather than piecemeal, and that there should be no net expansion of UK airport capacity unless aviation starts hitting carbon targets.
“The Committee also called for more low carbon rail to replace shorter flights and reduce demand for aviation. This would of course take away the business case supporting Bristol Airport’s expansion.
“In the context of this critical progress report from the Committee and, given just how damaging the expansion will be both to local residents and to the climate, it would be wrong for the High Court to permit expansion from 10 to 12 million passengers per year, and wrong of the Secretary of State to take any subsequent decision in support. Bristol Airport is big enough.”
Wera Hobhouse, the city’s Liberal Democrat MP, said: “There is no justification for expanding Bristol Airport whilst the Conservative Government fails to meet climate change targets.
“The recent heatwaves were a wake-up call and a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of climate change.
“Short-term thinking and a refusal to face up to the climate emergency will have a terrible impact on our planet.
“I’m pleased that my colleagues from Bath and North East Somerset Council have reaffirmed their opposition to Bristol Airport expansion and I fully support their calls for airport expansions to be considered on a national basis.
“We are in the midst of a climate emergency and the Conservatives are burying their heads in the sand, hoping that it goes away.”
