Airport proposals clear another hurdle

Councillors have mostly agreed to a set of conditions governing major plans for a new terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport, following a three and half hour debate.

Members of Leeds City Council’s City Plans Panel considered an officer’s report and gave their approval subject to consultation with the Secretary of State.

But they also passed an amendment put forward by Councillor Dan Cohen, part of which says extra flights to the airport should not begin before the new terminal has been completed.

Last month, the £150m plans for the airport were approved in principle by the panel, despite stiff opposition from objectors who argued extra flights would cause unacceptable levels of pollution and noise disturbance.

Panel members were today – 11 March – told the applicant wishes to redevelop the existing terminal as soon as practicable upon completion of the replacement terminal.

However, even though it will no longer be used by passengers this building houses some of the airport’s critical operations, so most of it will remain operational.

The applicant will commit to demolishing a section of the old terminal, which houses a baggage hall and passengers handling facilities.

It says this will happen within six months of the opening of the replacement terminal.

Councillors were informed it would be necessary for additional flights to be introduced during the construction of the new terminal, as the airport must negotiate and confirm new route contracts in advance of the terminal’s
opening.

The applicant agreed the new flight regime would not begin until half way through the replacement terminal building work.

Other conditions include the applicant contributing £6.32m worth of support to help deliver a Parkway Railway Station, a tree planting scheme, improvements to cycle links and enabling all taxis and private hire vehicles to have unrestricted access to the one-hour free car park.

Councillors on the panel were unhappy that most of the old terminal would remain standing for the foreseeable future. And they were also critical of extra flights using the airport before the replacement terminal has been finished.

Cllr Colin Campbell said: “It was very clear at our last meeting that we were concerned about the old terminal building remaining.

“We were sold the idea that this would be a replacement building – not another building.”

Cllr Elizabeth Nash said she wanted to see a proper hackney carriage rank in place outside the airport.

Cllr David Blackburn commented: “I don’t see why the airport can’t wait to begin operating these extra flights until the new terminal is finished. The only reason for that seems to be financial.”

Cllr Neil Walshaw said councillors must remember the threat to the Earth’s climate posed by aviation carbon emissions remains the central issue.

“There’s an absence of national leadership, so we need to show leadership and also some courage on this,” he argued.

He proposed the panel should defer the proposals until council officers had negotiated a detailed climate action plan with the applicant.

However, councillors instead agreed by nine votes to five in favour of an amendment put forward by Cllr Cohen.

He successfully proposed the panel accept the conditions, but with the following additions: a new programme of flights should not be introduced until the replacement terminal is finished; a hackney carriage rank be installed; and a detailed plan is drawn up for the demolition or alternative use of the current terminal building.