World of change casts doubt on airport’s plan

EIGHTEEN MONTHS ago Leeds City Council gave consent to expand the existing terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) but, since then, the world has changed dramatically.

A proposed link road has been refused on environmental grounds, both Leeds and Bradford councils are committed to becoming carbon neutral.

The planning application for a new terminal will increase emissions enough to use up the entire carbon budget for Leeds alone by 2026.

With no rail connection, vehicle movements will greatly increase but then be unable to park as there are no current proposals to add any additional parking. There is no need for a new terminal for the following reasons:

■ Passenger numbers are in decline and will do so further due to Covid-19. There is already spare capacity.

■ To believe that LBA can be an international airport with only one runway and no space to create another, on top of a hill, is fanciful. It does not serve major destinations direct now.

■ LBA does not cater for business travellers who demand a far better service and prefer rail, that is why British Airways has permanently suspended flights.

The proposal aims to dramatically improve passenger experience. The chief executive Hywel Rees, whom I have never met, admits that the level of service historically has not been good enough and that the airport has made big strides towards improvement.

Mr Rees admits that his ‘Inbox’ is full of complaints, yet LBA has a long record of not acknowledging them, as has happened to me.

The Australian owners AMP Capital have owned the airport for two and a half years. Why then have improvements not been made? Answer, they do not care. Their only concern is to make money from the farepaying passenger, full stop. They have disregard for the people and homes that they fly over.

The business model to pay for the new terminal requires an increase in customers and flights: passenger numbers will almost double to seven million per year by 2030, an increase of 72 per cent in 10 years.

Flights will increase by 50 per cent to 46,000 per annum which equates to almost 900 flights per week.

The latest application fact sheet states that LBA already has consent to fly 24 hours but we, the public, are informed that they only wish to extend the existing hours by one and a half. It is just a short step to becoming a 24-hour operation.

LBA is already a nightmare (literally) for local Yeadon residents who have had problems parking their own vehicles for some time, let alone sleepless nights. This is rarely highlighted because they have become accustomed to the latter and many benefit from ancillary services or are employed by the airport.

Noise, fuel and oxide deposit pollution is experienced by thousand upon thousand of residents across a much wider area who live under the flightpath(s) and who don’t need an alarm clock when the first flight of the day will do.

The airport states that completion of the new terminal would enable LBA to meet its target of zero carbon emissions by 2023 – misleading due to the fact that they have no overall control over the actual aircraft.

The two relevant councils will not meet their own stated environmental aims if planning permission is granted whilst Leeds City Council must also

I am not against air travel, just this planning application.

adhere to their own much heralded Green Strategy.

The only reason to build a new terminal is to accommodate more passengers, thereby providing higher dividend payments to the Australianbased AMP Capital shareholders.

I am not against air travel, just this planning application. LBA is simply in the wrong location, one runway on top of a hill and no space for expansion.

Doncaster is the Yorkshire airport of choice – excellent road access and an intended rail link, well away from urban centres, and with unfettered space to grow.

Chief executive Hywel Rees constantly talks about Leeds by stating that he aims to give confidence to invest in Leeds – that Leeds is open for business and that he tells the wider community that Leeds is here to serve them.

Remind me who will make the decision on the planning application?