Council rejects airport expansion plan against officers' advice

North Somerset Council has gone against officers’ advice to reject a planning application to expand Bristol airport to handle 12m passengers a year.

The 18-7 vote by the planning and regulatory committee against the application requires ratification at a future meeting to take effect because it was taken contrary to advice.
If that upholds the decision the applicant will then have six months in which to lodge an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Council leader Don Davies said: “What the committee has considered is that the detrimental effect of the expansion of the airport on this area and the wider impact on the environment outweighs the narrower benefits to airport expansion.

“I know some people will be upset by this decision and I am sure that we can reconsider it in future when the airline industry has decarbonised and the public transport links to the airport are far stronger.”

Cllr Davies said the airport handled just over 8m passengers a year and could still expand that up to its existing 10 million limit it without affecting employment or the number of people who can fly.

Bristol Airport said in a statement: “We are disappointed by the decision of North Somerset Council’s planning and regulatory committee to recommend refusal of our planning application to increase Bristol Airport’s capacity from 10 to 12 million passengers a year, contrary to the recommendation of the council’s own planning officers.”

The statement said the decision “risks putting the brakes on the region’s economy by turning away airlines who want to serve the south west market”, and would force passengers in the region to travel instead to airports around London.