Airport Master Plan for next 30 Years - Consultation

[rollo]

OTTP also own 49% of BHX and have done so for some years they also have holdings in London City and Copenhagen airports and a while back sold their interest in Brussels airport. I don't know if they have any other investments in aviation but clearly they see it as a profitable investment in the longer term.

Aviation is relatively small beer for them though given the size of their overall investments. Most members in pension funds probably have little or no idea where their funds are invested and just want a high return.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Airport press release with supportive comments about the expansion from leading figures in the local business and tourism industries. No doubt the airport will be hoping that the local rag (one of Reach Plc's finest) will make an article out of it to counter the criticism from the anti-airport lobby that has been given much prominence.

Response from key stakeholders in the region after the announcement to give Bristol Airport the go-ahead to expand.

Response from key stakeholders in the region after the announcement to give Bristol Airport the go-ahead to expand.

www.bristolairport.co.uk

Response from key stakeholders in the region after the announcement to give Bristol Airport the go-ahead to expand.​

Created: 3rd Feb 2022

John Mayer, Somerset Area Lead for the Federation of Small Businesses, said,

“At a time when being open for business has never been more important, supporting the sustainable growth of our regional gateway sends a strong signal that our region will continue to welcome trade, tourism, and investment from overseas to the benefit of SME owners.

We strongly support Bristol Airport’s commitment to net zero operations by 2030, which will open up new opportunities for innovative businesses to grow and support the transition to a decarbonised economy.”

Kathryn Davis, Director of Tourism for Visit West, said,

“Bristol Airport is the West of England’s international gateway, allowing visitors from overseas direct access to the one of the UK’s most beautiful regions and its diverse visitor experiences that make the region so popular.

“The visitor economy is of huge importance to our region, worth more than £2.33 billion, supporting around 45,000 jobs and welcoming more than 1m visiting from overseas before the pandemic hit. As travel opens back up again, international visitors will play a critical role in the West of England’s economic recovery”

James Durie, Executive Director of Business West, said,

“The business community welcomes the go-ahead for Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity. The long term success of our region’s key global gateway is essential for making Bristol and the West of the UK a place of choice for people to visit, live, learn, and invest.

We have strongly supported and encouraged Bristol Airport's accelerated transition to Net Zero operations and cleaner aviation. We now look forward to working with airport to ensure the economic and wider benefits from its long term sustainable growth are felt by those most in need in our region.”

Ben Rhodes, CBI South West Regional Director, said,

“Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity will create opportunities for the South West’s world class businesses, with the potential for new routes giving our region more direct connections and opening up new markets.

We hope to see Bristol Airport generating thousands of new jobs in the coming years, helping to level-up the South West and drive forward our region’s economic recovery.”

 

[TheLocalYokel]

OTTP also own 49% of BHX and have done so for some years they also have holdings in London City and Copenhagen airports and a while back sold their interest in Brussels airport. I don't know if they have any other investments in aviation but clearly they see it as a profitable investment in the longer term.

Aviation is relatively small beer for them though given the size of their overall investments. Most members in pension funds probably have little or no idea where their funds are invested and just want a high return.

Your comment about people's lack of knowledge regarding their pension fund investments is undoubtedly true in the majority of cases but there are those who are aware and some are activists who will try to spread their message when it comes to investments they oppose.

Reading the posts in this thread earlier today concerning lies from opponents about the BRS expansion shows that some activists aren't too bothered about the accuracy of their assertions as long as they serve the intended purpose. It was supposed to be Goebbels who said that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth.

Some people with a casual interest in the subject will read the tweet about BRS being given permission to double in size, accept its veracity and remember it.

This time last year a group of OTPP members were calling on OTPP to withdraw its Bristol Airport appeal.

Canadian teachers don't want their money spent on Bristol Airport expansion

Members of pension fund that owns airport stand in solidarity with expansion opponents

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

This is what Liam Fox, the local MP for the Bristol Airport area, gets up to - flying around the world.

This is the man who objects to Bristol Airport expansion saying that it's big enough.

Liam Fox MP crammed in trips to three continents last month

Dr Liam Fox MP spent time on trips in the US, Hungary, the UAE and Dubai

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Six separate marches/demonstrations in Bristol city centre this Saturday.

Inevitably the anti-Bristol Airport people will be out. So too will a climate change group, people supporting Palestine, Buddhists complaining about Barclays Bank, others highlighting the plight of refugees and still others complaining about the cost of living.

At least the airport protestors might be lost in this glut of activism.

Six city centre protests expected to cause disruption today

Roads will be blocked by some demonstrators

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Donald Davies, Leader of North Somerset Council, was interviewed on BBC Tv Points West today complaining about the inordinate length of time it has taken to try to get the Bristol-Portishead railway line reinstated. It's taken many, many years and still a final decision is awaited. Now that is something the good councillor and I agree on.

However, he then made the ridiculous comment about a comparison with Bristol Airport's expansion which he said was "whizzed through". It actually took over three years and might not yet be finished but that's not the point.

What he conveniently failed to mention is that the railway involves public money whilst the airport is completely privately funded, so there was no ongoing argument about how much it would all cost which has been the problem with the Portishead line for much of this century. Not only that but the overseas investment at the airport brings in money and jobs to his council's area at no financial cost to the local tax payer. I'd have thought that Donald Duck would have grasped that let alone Donald Davies.

His comment was a bit rich anyway given that his council used a large amount of public money to defend their rejection at the appeal in the face of professional advice to the contrary.

 

[Seasider]

Sounds like a typical politician to me.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

What has possibly been overlooked in recent years by those of us interested in the local aviation scene is that the new master plan still awaits finalisation. It originally went out to public consultation over four years ago but was then delayed indefinitely until the airport knew how the planners would allow it to develop.

This thread began as a vehicle to follow the progress of the new master plan but inevitably was then diverted to the saga of the airport planning application whose outcome has a direct bearing on the shape of any new master plan.

Publicly at least the master plan published in 2006 is still the current one.

If the Planning Inspectorate decision could be regarded as final then the airport could, if it wished, return to the preparation of the new plan as a matter of urgency. However, there is still a possibility (probability?) of legal challenges to the planning inspectors' decision. Application for a planning judicial review normally has to be made to the High Court within six weeks of the decision being made known. We are therefore three weeks into that six-week period.

I would have expected any judicial review applicants to make full use of the six weeks in order to obtain the fullest expert legal advice. Whether the local authority will spend more public money in a legal challenge will no doubt depend primarily on that legal advice. Environmental/anti-airport/climate change groups might be more gung ho especially if much of their money has come via such pathways as Internet Crowd Funding. Whoever applied for a judicial review would have to show that the planning inspectors erred in law or procedure in coming to their decision.

As to the new master plan itself, the airport now appears to believe that Covid has put back the timetable by about five years with 10 mppa not now likely until around 2025 and 12 mppa by 2030.

The 2006 master plan has been remarkably prescient with its annual passenger figure projections.

It projected 6.695 million by 2010. The actual number was 5.723 but in 2008 there had been 6.229 until the major recession impacted matters.

It projected 8.076 million by 2015. The actual number was 6.781 but this represented steady growth following the recession effects.

It projected 9.271 million by 2020. The actual number in 2019 was 8.959 with every indication in early 2020 that the projection would be met that year, until the pandemic arrived.

It projects 10.812 million by 2025 and 12.476 million by 2030 (the 10 mppa planning cap was not introduced until 2011).

Given that these projections were made over 15 years ago they are uncannily accurate and may well be so going forward.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

One of the opposition groups to Bristol Airport expansion is taking legal advice re a possible legal challenge to the Planning Inspectorate's decision to allow the airport's appeal against the local authority's rejection of its planning application.

A spokesman for the group said, “Following legal advice BAAN have now instructed our QC to draw up formal grounds for appeal against the decision to expand Bristol Airport and to advise us of our likely success in achieving a statutory review and High Court challenge.”

The group has launched a Crowdfunding appeal which so far has raised £17,000 of the £40,000 target. The six-week window during which any legal challenge must be launched closes on 18 March.

North Somerset Council is also said to be studying the planning inspectors' decision to see if there any grounds for a legal challenge.

Airport campaigners appoint QC to assess grounds for challenge against expansion

A fundraising appeal has already raised more than £17,000 towards legal costs

www.somersetlive.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The protests aren't over yet. I suspect we shall see more of this as the year unfolds, especially if the High Court permits a legal challenge.

Extinction Rebellion group target Bristol Airport

Around 30 activists have entered the departures terminal of the airport

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

No surprise that one of the protest groups is to apply to the High Court for a judicial review of thePlanning Inspectorate decision to allow the airport's appeal. Nor that they have left it to almost the last day of the window.

North Somerset Council will not challenge the decision. The leader of the council said that a legal challenge would carry 'a high level of risk' and result in 'significant further costs'.

He went on to say, 'A legal challenge through the High Court can only be successful if the inspectors can be shown to have erred in law. Unfortunately our disagreement with the inspectors' conclusions on the planning merits is not a relevant ground for challenge'.

Bristol Airport expansion decision to go to High Court

Campaigners say expanding Bristol Airport will be damaging for local people and the environment.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Seasider]

I hope that they have deep pockets to foot the bill they will have to pay. If the council think it is too risky (planning inspectors did it by the book) then I can't see them proving different.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I hope that they have deep pockets to foot the bill they will have to pay. If the council think it is too risky (planning inspectors did it by the book) then I can't see them proving different.

It was inevitable. The protest group collected £20,000 by Crowdfunding although initially they said they required £40,000.

The first task for the protestors is to persuade a High Court judge that the legal challenge should go ahead.

 

[Jono577]

I have se that High Court judicial review of the Planning Inspectorate decision to allow the airport's appeal has been approved for later this year.

 

[Severn]

Bristol Airport: High Court hearing granted for expansion ruling

Campaigners say expanding Bristol Airport will be damaging for local people and the environment.

www.bbc.com

 

[Aviador]

Thanks for the information @Severn I trust the Bristol forum locals will keep us up to date on this development.

 

[MrFenner]

Seems the High Court hearing will be held in Bristol Crown Court on 7 & 8 November after a campaign by BAAN to have it heard there.

The airport of course weren’t too happy as a London hearing would have been better “because it was convenient for their ‘legal team’ and Counsel”

 

[MrFenner]

Seems the High Court hearing will be held in Bristol Crown Court on 7 & 8 November after a campaign by BAAN to have it heard there.

The airport of course weren’t too happy as a London hearing would have been better “because it was convenient for their ‘legal team’ and Counsel”

The outcome of this hearing is due later today… (31 January)

Bristol airport expansion - what is the row about?

 

[Severn]

Bristol Airport expansion granted at High Court

Excellent news for Bristol Airport - hopefully the end to a long-running saga.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

That is good news! What does that mean for stands and parking? Is there any space available for extra overnight parking or will they be targeting more out if base daytime flights?

 

[Marko1]

Does this mean the airport can start works