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Controversial Leeds-Bradford airport plan stays grounded
Controversial plans for a £28m extension to Leeds-Bradford International Airport terminal have been scuppered for the time being.
Councillors last night delayed a decision on the scheme amid concerns about the impact it could have on roads in the area after getting more than 900 letters of objection.
The proposed terminal extension is part of a 70m investment programme that Bridgepoint Capital, owners of the airport, intend to carry out over the next five years.
The Leeds City Council's east plans panel heard the two storey extension would include a new departure lounge, shops and improved main entrance, arrivals concourse, check-in areas, information desk and enlarged security search facilities.
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Currently nearly three million passengers a year use Leeds Bradford.
That figure is expected to grow over the next few years and an extended terminal could handle up to five million passengers a year.
And while many leading organisations including Yorkshire Tourist Board, the Royal Armouries museum, Yorkshire Cricket Club and the Harrogate International Centre supported the application, the council received more than 900 letters of objection, many arguing that roads in the area would be unable to cope with the extra traffic generated by the airport's expansion.
Anthony Rae, of Friends of the Earth, told a packed meeting of the panel that road junctions in the area were already at capacity.
He also argued that if the forecast increase in passenger numbers was achieved, the airport would generate more CO2 emissions than the rest of Leeds put together.
Mr David Cooper, who lives in Yeadon, said: "This extension must not be allowed until the proposed road link between the airport and the ring-road is put in place to take traffic away from the already crowded, inadequate and unsuitable roads of north west Leeds."
The report to the panel said Bridgepoint would commit 1m on public transport improvements to encourage people to get to the airport by bus.
Among a list of other travel measures, the company was also prepared to spend up to 228,000 a year on bus links between the airport and Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate.
Mr Carl Lapworth, the airport's operations and engineering director, said the application was not about the principle of growth.
He said it was about safeguarding the airport's 2,200 jobs and encouraging economic growth.
But panel members said they could not give the scheme their backing at this stage. While supporting the development of improved airport facilities, they said much more work needed to be done on how people could be persuaded to get to the airport by public transport.
Planning officials will hold talks over transport issues before bringing forward a new report to the panel.
david.marsh@ypn.co.uk
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Friday 25 May 2012
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