Airport clears final legal hurdle in way of multi-million pound extension

Bristol Airport has cleared a final legal hurdle standing in the way of a multi-million pound expansion.

The airport had received planning permission for a major expansion following a protracted legal battle but a group called Bristol Airport Action Network appealed against the decision.

The airport has since heard that permission to appeal has been refused on all grounds by the Court of Appeal.

The ruling found that there no real prospect of success for the appeal and there is no other compelling reason for the Court of Appeal to entertain an appeal.

Bristol Airport’s original plans for an extended airport terminal, and an increase in capacity from around nine million passengers a year to 12 million, was refused planning permission by North Somerset Council in January 2020.

The airport’s owners – the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund – appealed to the government, and a planning inspector overturned that decision and granted permission in February last year.

The Bristol Airport Action Network were hoping to appeal against that decision.

A statement from the airport welcomed the latest ruling.

The statement 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.”

Expanded capacity will add 800 jobs at Bristol Airport and up to a further 5,000 across the region and will add an estimated £430m to the South West’s economy.