MPs want airport expansion rethink
05.03.09
Two local MPs are urging Bristol Airport to reassess the benefits of expanding the site, the Mercury reports. Weston MP John Penrose and Woodspring MP Liam Fox have written a joint letter to the airport's chief executive, Robert Sinclair, raising their concerns about the planned growth of the hub.
The letter was written as a response to the consultation on Bristol Airport's expansion plans, which has been running since January and will end on Friday. The consultation is being held to canvas peoples' views on the plans before a planning application is submitted to North Somerset Council.
The letter raises concerns about the affect on transport links of an increase in passenger numbers. The newspaper reports that It says: ‘A huge amount of traffic makes its way up the A38 from the south or across from the M5 via Junctions 19, 20 and 21. There is nothing in the planned infrastructure that would help alleviate this problem. The attempts to deal with this increased traffic once they get to the airport are also disappointing.’
The MPs are also concerned about the proposals for an increased number of night flights. The letter says: ‘The bottom line is that our constituents would be asked to pay the environmental cost of airport expansion without seeing significant benefits. We would urge you to look again at the economic case for expansion of the airport, as many of the assumptions of a growing economy might not be replicated in a recession.’
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