Council puts brakes on plans to stop pop-up car parks near airport
PLANS to make nearly 40 square miles of green belt land around Bristol Airport a no-go area for illegal car parks have been dropped.
North Somerset Council was planning to introduce a piece of legislation – known as an Article 4 Direction – which would prevent illegal car parks springing up on green fields around the airport.
A consultation on the plans was lau2nched in 2016 but was halted after errors were found with the paperwork.
Council chiefs said the ‘technical errors’ related to the fact the legislation quoted in the order had actually been superseded by new Government directives.
There had been plans to rewrite the order and hold a further period of consultation on the move. But now it seems the idea is not being pursued.
North Somerset Council spokeswoman Zoe Briffitt said: “We are not pursuing this at the moment. But it is something that we may consider in the near future in order to find a solution to the problem of unauthorised airport car parking.”
The council said it would continue to take enforcement action against illegal airport car parks where appropriate.
Currently operators can set up car parks on land for 28 days in each calendar year under permitted development rules. The use of an Article 4 Direction would mean this permitted development right would be removed. The direction – which would have to be rubber stamped by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government – would cover 38 square miles of land, much of which is green belt, surrounding the airport.
The area would include up to the boundaries of Bristol and Bath and North Somerset and out towards Congresbury.
It would also follow the A370 through the village of Backwell.
Over the years the council has battled to control the number of car parks on green belt land.
It was hoped that the new legislation would help prevent new car parks from springing up around the airport.
North Somerset Council has also seen the number of enforcement officers – tasked with clamping down on the issue – reduce due to recent cost-cutting.
Parish councils in areas affected by the car parks have also considered helping fund the costs of additional enforcement officers to help them crack down on the problem.