Airport cap is 'flawed' - chief

15 October 2009

SUGGESTIONS from campaigners are 'flawed' according to a Bristol International Airport (BIA) chief.

At a meeting of North Somerset Council's central area planning committee on October 8, a group representing the regions residents argued the number of passengers using BIA should be capped at eight million.

The calls from The Parish Council's Airport Association (PCAA), made up of 24 parish councils and the campaign group Stop Bristol Airport Expansion (SBAE), were quickly rubbished by BIA bosses.

Robert Sinclair, chief executive officer at BIA, said: "While it is encouraging that the SBAE group recognises the need to expand the airport in order to meet demand for air travel to and from the South West, its suggestion of a cap of eight million passengers per annum (mppa) is flawed.

"The planning application before North Somerset Council is for facilities to handle growth to 10mppa over the next decade to 2019.

"The proposed infrastructure has been designed on this basis, the environmental and economic impacts have been assessed using this figure, as have the proposed controls and mitigation measures."

Mr Sinclair said the development for eight million passengers per year would look entirely different, and it is possible that this volume of passengers could be reached without requiring planning permission.

At the meeting recommendations made by North Somerset councillors were welcomed by the SBAE group.

SBAE spokesman Jeremy Birch said: "The councillors had particularly grave concerns over road access to the airport and discussed how North Somerset was still 'playing catch-up' on current traffic volumes."

The councillors' debate included discussions on traffic and road infrastructure, noise issues, particularly in relation to night flights, carbon emissions, economic benefits, green belt, water run-off, sewerage, security and limiting the airport's growth until all these issues are resolved.

Concerns on all the issues will be discussed at the town's west area committee tonight (Thurs) and the south area committee is due to make a decision on the airport's plans in December.