Appeal against Bristol Airport expansion refused

An appeal by a local campaign group to halt the expansion of Bristol Airport has been refused by a judge on the grounds it stands no “real prospect of success”.

The expansion was granted permission by the High Court in Bristol in January, on the grounds that it would impact the environment but that the decision is for central government, not local.

But following the decision, Bristol Airport Action Network launched a fundraising campaign on Crowd Justice, a crowdfunding platform for legal action, raising £13k within just three days of the launch.

This is the latest stage in a long-running legal battle that has been raging since 2018, when the airport proposed plans which would see passenger numbers increase from 10 million to 12 million and flights by 10,420 to almost 86,000 a year.

In its dismissal, the judge wrote: “None has a real prospect of success and there is no other compelling reason for the Court of Appeal to entertain an appeal.”

Responding to the decision on Twitter, BAAN said the government had ignored the views of the local community.

“BAAN regret to report that the Court of Appeal has refused to hear our appeal against last year’s High Court decision,” a spokesperson said.

“This now gives Bristol Airport the opportunity to go ahead with its expansion plans, thus ignoring the views of local communities & democratic institutions.

“The decision means our immediate legal opposition has come to an end. Of course, we are hugely disappointed but after over four years of campaigning we take comfort from many positives including the delay we have caused to millions of tonnes of CO2 and non-CO2 emissions.

“We have come together with love and care to fight this crucial campaign. It’s been an extraordinary experience – always dignified & peaceful.

“We have exposed the fact that the legal & planning process is simply not fit-for-purpose – providing a springboard for a national campaign

“By not updating the planning system concerning airport expansion it is clear that the government & aviation industry is ignoring the climate crisis.

“Promising to achieve net zero by 2050 with costly & unproven tech as well as increasing passenger numbers by 70 per cent is plain crazy.

The group also warned that they would continue to fight the plans, despite the appeal’s dismissal.

“Let it be known that we are not going away. We know Bristol Airport has insane plans for further expansion to cater for up to 20 million passengers a year.

“We will be vigilant for their next planning application with a view to be ready to resist their ambitions to expand further.

A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said: “Bristol Airport welcomes the Court’s decision to uphold the planning permission to increase Bristol Airport’s capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers per annum providing enhanced customer facilities for the region’s gateway for air travel.

“The decision is excellent news for our region’s economy, allowing us to create thousands of new jobs in the years ahead and open-up new direct links, and support inbound tourism.

“We will now take forward our multi-million-pound plans for net zero operations by 2030 and look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver responsible growth.”

Main photo: Bristol Airport Action Network

Read next:

• ‘Bristol Airport expansion must be stopped’
• Bristol Airport expansion given green light by High Court
• Airport flyer bus blockaed by XR youth activists

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