Bristol airport expansion conflicts with green bid

Bristol's European green capital bid has been hit by the international airport's bid to increase passenger numbers from six to 10 million

Bristol's international airport is looking to increase its passenger numbers from six to 10 million as part of expansion plans to increase flight numbers, at the same time as it bids to become Europe's green capital.

Owners South West Airports Ltd have this week put development plans on show as part of a six week pre-application consultation process aimed at gathering views on the scheme.

Following consultation, the airport will submit a planning application to North Somerset Council for a range of improvements to the airport’s facilities and services. This will include proposals to extend the terminal building, provide additional car parking and create new aircraft stands, enabling the airport to handle 10 million passengers per annum from the six million who used the airport in 2008.

The proposed development will be designed to achieve a high standard of energy efficiency with at least 20 per cent of the predicted additional energy requirements coming from on site renewable sources, including wind power and biomass heat generation.

The completed scheme represents significant investment by Bristol International Airport, and studies estimate it will generate about 4,000 additional jobs in the South West and bring up to £343m into the region.

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer at Bristol International Airport, said the development will enable the airport to meet the growing demand for air travel to and from the South West.

"The new facilities will make the airport better for our passengers, allowing us to improve the service and range of flights available to local business and leisure travellers. It will also help us attract tourists directly into the region, supporting the local economy," he said.

“Airports remain vital to economic prosperity and quality of life in the regions they serve. Environmental effects need to be balanced against these benefits – that’s why we have carefully assessed the impacts of our proposals and brought forward a range of mitigation measures to be considered along with our development proposals.”

The proposed development will be concentrated within existing operational areas, with the exception of a small area to the south which will be used for additional car parking.

Reducing the reliance on car journeys to and from the airport by passengers and staff is central to the development plans. As part of a commitment to encourage use of public transport, a public transport interchange will be sited on top of a new multi-storey car park and linked to the terminal by a covered pedestrian footbridge.

Bristol International says it will contribute to improvements to the local transport infrastructure, working with local authorities and the community to identify priorities. Bus services between the airport and Bath and Weston-super-Mare are also being considered.

The forecast increase in the number of people using the airport would generate, on average, an additional five to six arrival and departure flights per hour between 6am and 11pm. The airport’s noise impact will be carefully managed and controlled through a range of measures including encouraging airlines to operate quieter aircraft and imposing penalties on those which exceed agreed limits.

No relaxation of the current night-flying restrictions will be sought.

The consultation will run until 6th March - two weeks after the city of Bristol is hoping to be crowned Europe’s first green capital.

European Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas will announce the winners of the European Green Capital Award for 2010 and 2011 at a ceremony on February 23 in Brussels.

The European Commission's prestigious new award scheme aims to strengthen sustainable and integrated urban management across Europe.

Bristol was one of eight cities to have been shortlisted for the 2010 and 2011 awards, the others being Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Freiburg im Breisgau, Hamburg, Münster, Oslo and Stockholm.

In mid-January the competing cities presented their environmental achievements and their visions for taking on the role of European Green Capital to the evaluation panel. Based on these presentations and additional written information submitted by the candidates, the panel completed its assessment.

Each city was asked to provide information on ten indicator areas with regards to their present environmental status and results, what they were doing to improve the urban living conditions, their future initiatives and dissemination plans.

When the competition was launched last May, a total of 35 cities entered the bidding process.

“This shortlist of eight cities boasts the green front-runners among European cities. They all presented remarkable results and ideas,” said evaluation panel member J. Luis Bento Coelho, Associate Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal. “I was very impressed by their commitment and enthusiasm.”