Campaigners unite against airport plan

TRANSPORT: Environmental activists and local campaigners have joined forces to oppose £150m plans to increase capacity at Leeds Bradford Airport.

Campaigners say the planned revamp would allow flight times to increase by an hour and a half each day, impacting on the lives of people living nearby.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS and local campaigners have joined forces to oppose £150m plans to increase capacity at Leeds Bradford Airport.

Campaigners say the airport’s planned revamp would allow flight times to increase by an hour and a half each day, impacting on the lives of people living nearby.

They also claim increasing the number of flights would contribute to climate change, with the projected increase to seven million annual passengers in the coming years using up the council’s entire “carbon budget”.

The plans, which include a new three-storey terminal building, close to the proposed Leeds Bradford Airport parkway rail station, and include allowing flights to start at 6am, rather than 7am, and finish at 11.30pm rather than 11pm, are set to be decided by a panel in the coming month.

The Group for Action on LBA (GALBA) claims the plans do not account for the forecasted increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the impact LBA’s flight times will have on local people. Chair Chris Foren said: “The proposed expansion flies in the face of the council’s climate emergency they announced last year.

“In our view it would be wrong for the council to accept this application. If passengers increased to 7 million, as predicted, Leeds would use up its entire carbon budget on just the airport.

“Flight times would also increase by an hour and a half each day. People living around the airport will have more disturbed sleep.”

Business and tourism experts claim the airport would help the region compete economically and could subsequently help create jobs in the area. However Mr Foren said: “There may be a mar

ginal difference, but we can’t go on sacrificing our environment for economic growth.”

has also received letters from local residents. Roundhay resident Caleb Elliot said: “(The expansion) will produce more noise pollution – LBA wants to extend flying times by 90 minutes, starting at 6am and finishing at 11.30pm – there’d be roughly one flight every six minutes.”

And Otley resident Sarah Mumford said: “As someone living under the flight path the increase in flight times for me is unacceptable.

“I have really enjoyed the peace since flights stopped due to coronavirus and am now sleeping a full eight hours – which is just not possible when flights roar in to the air from 6.30am and hopefully not from 6am in future too.”

Extinction Rebellion protested outside Leeds Civic Hall for the plan to be scrapped.