No green case against plan for terminal

From: Hywel Rees,

AS the consultation period for our replacement terminal scheme is coming to an end soon, I am writing to thank you for your balanced coverage, and the people of Leeds and Yorkshire for their contribution and support, as we engaged with them throughout the process, which started in January.

There have been many interesting points raised by different parties, and we appreciate and respect all of those views.

Our commitment to delivering a replacement terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport is at the forefront of our ambition to become more sustainable and dramatically improve customer experience.

Not only is the scheme a significant investment for the region backed by private funding, but it comes at a time when we need and, quite rightly, demand of our leaders, an economic boost.

Fundamentally Leeds remains a compassionate city and we take our responsibilities to develop in the right way seriously. We share the public’s view that there needs to be a balance struck between reducing carbon emissions and fostering continued economic prosperity for all.

We have been clear in our proposals about how we will reach net zero by 2023, how we have mitigated against noise and our roadmap to reducing emissions, including via travel to and from the airport.

As well as compiling detailed reports and analysis from leading specialists and professionals,

Leeds Council has undertaken extensive third party statutory consultation to assess our evidence and I welcome the final report which confirms and supports the emissions data we have supplied, corroborates our assessments on noise and backs up our scientific data.

This report was carried out independently of LBA and Leeds Council and is balanced on technical and environmental matters. It illustrates that there is not an environmental case against our proposals due to the mitigations we have made.

Leeds is a compassionate city, but it is also one of ambition. We’re confident that our proposals will deliver a sustainable future for our airport, make the flying experience better for millions of people across our region and support the incomes of thousands of families.

The Yorkshire Post,