Activists will take to the streets in Weston from today (Tuesday) on the first day of the legal inquiry into the appeal launched by Bristol Airport.

● This morning, Bristol artist Luke Jerram’s famous artwork Gaia will greet councillors and inspectors as they enter the first morning of the hearing. Onlookers will have a chance to see this stunning replica of the Earth which has toured around the world and will now be displayed outside Weston Town Hall to signify the importance of the decision that will be made.

There will be a 'Flight to Mass Extinction massed die-in' of species at risk of extinction outside the Town Hall at 9.30am.

● On Wednesday from 10am-1pm, a life-sized aeroplane and runway will appear on the beach by the pier. The Greenwash Busters will be sucking up the airport’s greenwash at 11am and 1pm outside Weston Town Hall.

A moving parade of penitents around town will call attention to the sins of the airport from noon to 1pm.

● On Thursday, as the summer holidays begin, a noisy march through town will wake up the inspectors as they leave the Town Hall on the third day of the inquiry from 2-4pm

All actions will be Covid-safe, with participants wearing appropriate PPE and adhering to social distancing guidelines.

The safety of everyone involved is of primary concern and there will be a designated Covid safety rep for each action to ensure that social distancing is adhered to.

Last year, North Somerset Council voted against the application to expand Bristol Airport’s airport’s capacity.

The airport is owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which also owns part of Birmingham, London City, Copenhagen and Brussels airports.

MORE: Everything you need to know about Bristol Airport's public enquiry.

Bristol Airport has previously stated its aim of being carbon neutral for direct emissions by 2025.

An expanded airport would allow for an extra 23,800 flights a year, including night flights between 1am and 6am, resulting in an additional one million tonnes of carbon emissions, and 10,000 more car movements per day.

Extinction Rebellion activist, Dr Emma Geen, said: “The airport’s claims would be laughable, if they weren’t deadly serious.

“They base that target on only calculating the climate impact of the airport building itself, and its surrounding ground services. The massive climate cost of the flights in and out of the airport are completely ignored.

“They want us to imagine that the climate impact of an airport can be measured against the same criteria as a children’s playground.”