Bristol Airport: City council U-turn on expansion plans

Bristol Airport's plans include thousands more parking spaces and a new transport interchange

The expansion of Bristol Airport has lost the support of the city council.

Airport bosses want to build a new car park and hub to boost passenger numbers by two million a year but it was vetoed by North Somerset Council in February.

Bristol city councillors, who had supported the plans, have now agreed it is "incompatible" with carbon reduction targets and "must not go ahead".

The airport is appealing a decision to refuse planning permission and says not expanding "risks the regional economy".

The motion was brought to the city council on Tuesday by Green Party councillor Jerome Thomas.

It had included a demand that Bristol mayor Marvin Rees publically oppose the plans and write a formal objection letter, but that was removed.

Mr Rees supported the amended motion, despite previously expressing his support for the expansion and refusing to formally object to it in January.

An artist's impression of the proposed new forecourt at Bristol Airport

Mr Thomas welcomed the city council's change of mind.

"If a council supports airport expansion, which will cause over one million tonnes more carbon dioxide emissions, it is not taking the climate emergency seriously," he said.

But an airport spokesperson said not expanding "risks putting the brakes on the region's economy".

"The plans to expand capacity at the airport will offer passengers more routes and flights from the South West directly, create jobs, facilitate inward investment and inbound tourism, and support sustainable economic growth that will drive the region's recovery from Covid-19," they said.

"Preventing Bristol Airport from meeting demand for air travel from within the region it serves will simply exacerbate a situation which already sees millions of passengers a year from our region drive to London airports in order to fly, creating unnecessary carbon emissions and congestion in the process."

A Government planning inspector will decide if the expansion plans can go ahead following a hearing next year.