The expansion of Bristol Airport was debated at a Full Council meeting of Bristol City Council on 8 December and a ‘golden motion’, proposed by the Green Party and amended by Labour, was approved (see below).
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Approved motion
Full Council notes that:
• Bristol City Council has led the way in declaring climate and ecological emergencies.
• The proposed expansion of Bristol Airport is one of the biggest carbon decisions in the region for the coming decade, as it signals that growth in aviation travel can continue unabated.
Full Council:
• Acknowledges that airport expansion is incompatible with Bristol, the West of England and the region’s carbon reduction targets and therefore must not go ahead.
• Acknowledges that aviation is responsible for 3% of all carbon emissions worldwide, and that, critically, it is the only area where emissions are projected to increase.
• Understands that, in order to reduce the air miles travelled, which is essential, imposing a tax on aviation fuel and using other mechanisms to foster responsible air travel is essential, but also recognises that these powers are not within our remit.
• Recognises the negative environmental consequences of the expansion of Bristol Airport, and supports the North Somerset Planning Committee’s decision to reject the expansion plans, as there are other elements such as noise nuisance and loss of green belt land which are also unacceptable.
• Recognises Bristol Airport’s role as an employer in the region and recognises the need for a just transition to a greener economy – that does not leave workers worse-off – moving the economy away from polluting high carbon activities like flying to more sustainable forms of travel.
• Notes that promising developments have been made towards moving the aviation sector towards green technology, such as electric and hydrogen-powered planes, which would provide green jobs in Bristol and the surrounding area. However, Council also notes that these technologies are many years away from implementation and that they need the accelerant of knowing that unabated expansion will not be allowed. • Calls on the Mayor to lend his support to any Bristol City councillor that would like to write, individually or collectively, to the Planning Inspector hearing the appeal, asking them not to overturn the decision of North Somerset Council to reject airport expansion.
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Original motion
Golden Motion: Protect the Next Generation – Stop Bristol Airport Expansion
Full Council notes that:
· Bristol City Council has led the way in declaring climate and ecological emergencies.
· The proposed expansion of Bristol Airport is one of the biggest carbon decisions in the region for the coming decade.
Full Council:
· Opposes the proposed expansion of Bristol Airport.
· Calls on Bristol’s Mayor to publicly oppose the proposed expansion and write to the planning inspector hearing the appeal to formally object to the airport’s expansion plans.
Background Notes
The proposed expansion of Bristol Airport is the biggest carbon decision in the region for the coming decade. By way of context, the internal carbon emissions of Bristol (Scope 1 and 2) are 1.6 million tonnes per year. The growth in carbon emissions from the proposed airport expansion is around 1 million tonnes per year, which is over 50% of Bristol’s current carbon emissions (1). Although Bristol City Council has declared climate and ecological emergencies, Bristol’s Mayor previously declared his support for the expansion (2) and lodged a letter of support in the original planning application.
Airport expansion has never been discussed or voted on by Bristol’s councillors.
The airport submitted plans to expand in 2018 which were turned down in Feb 2020; they have now appealed against this refusal. Their plans would mean an extra 23,600 flights per year and two million passengers a year (as well as an extra 10,000 car movements a day and a multi-storey car park on green belt land).
Although the Bristol Mayor and Bristol City Council are not the decision makers they are important voices in this decision making process and any objection they make to these plans could make a real difference to the outcome of the appeal.
References:
https://www.isonomia.co.uk/just-plane-wrong-bristol-airports-expansionapplication
Motion to be moved by: Councillor Jerome Thomas, Green Group Date of submission: 26th November 2020