CBI backs Bristol Airport's expansion appeal

CBI backs Bristol Airport's expansion appeal​

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One of the UK’s biggest business organisations, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has said it will support Bristol Airport’s expansion appeal.

Ben Rhodes, CBI South West deputy director said:
“Bristol Airport is one of the key drivers of prosperity for North Somerset, Bristol, and the South West, supporting nearly 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributing around £1.7bn to the regional economy,”
“The increased connectivity which Bristol Airport’s expansion would deliver can be an important part of a South West economic recovery which places sustainability at its heart.”

Dave Lees, CEO, Bristol Airport said:
“Expansion at Bristol Airport will spur growth in the South West and increase the rate at which jobs are created, replacing those lost at the airport during the current crisis.
"Although demand is temporarily suppressed, it is forecast to return to pre-pandemic levels in the coming years.
"The sector has been operating at close to capacity for some time and expansion at regional airports will allow growth to benefit all regions across the UK.”

 

I've never understood how Bristol airport has such a large anti airport group given it's largely rural around the airfield. Fingers crossed for a good outcome for the airport.

 

I've never understood how Bristol airport has such a large anti airport group given it's largely rural around the airfield. Fingers crossed for a good outcome for the airport.

Over the past half century the villages in the vicinity of the airport have grown significantly in size with many of the new occupants in 'professional' or similar occupations. They commute to work, mainly to Bristol, which perversely causes the sort of traffic congestion at peak times on the A38 and A370 main roads into the city from that part of North Somerset that they complain about bitterly when they perceive the culprits as airport-related traffic.

The typical 'new' occupant doesn't want the villages to grow any more either, ignoring the fact that they grew to allow these people a home and that the rural idyll that they seek to preserve was already destroyed by the increase in village sizes and populations over the past 50 years or so.

The airport's approach and departure paths from/to the east are over the upmarket Chew Valley where villages are populated by the sort of people who don't want airports and growing villages disturbing their supposed tranquillity.

Looking back nearly 30 years when the airport proposed growing from its existing 1 mppa to 2 mppa there were protests then complaining that two million passengers a year would be intolerable and the end of local civilisation as they knew it. Each time significant airport growth has been put forward since that time the same arguments are brought out except that 'the environment' has now assumed centre stage.

Some of the councillors who rejected the latest planning application were at pains to say afterwards that they are not against the airport per se and use it, but they believe it's big enough and should not be allowed to get bigger.