BRISTOL Airport has confirmed that work is underway to begin the £60million expansion of the airport much to the discontent of local residents and campaigners
The investment will include adding a new multi-storey car park, which will provide 2,000 extra parking spaces, and also become home to the new public transport interchange hub.
Stephen Clarke from BAAN, said: “The airport’s press release talks about the supposed ‘transformational’ benefits of their plans; in fact the key people who will benefit will be the owners, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, who stand to make even more money from car parking, whilst contributing to the destruction of our climate system.”
“However, the purported benefits will also mean an extra million tonnes of carbon a year (more than double all the ground transport emissions of the whole of Bristol), a multi-storey car park on greenbelt land and nearly as many night flights as Heathrow. Local residents fear further traffic congestion on the A38 and local roads as well as increased levels of air and noise pollution. In short, the lives of local residents and the environment will be transformed, but definitely not for the better.”
Stephen Clarke added “Expert evidence at the planning inquiry showed clearly that the promise of jobs is ‘much exaggerated’ as airports become increasingly automated and business people no longer use flights when they can meet online. Yet again the airport mislead people by promising ‘net zero operations by 2030’; but they neglect to mention it doesn’t include the planes!”