June 2, 2025
Harry Mottram: As passengers from the town board flights for a holiday abroad this summer a debate continues over whether Bristol Airport should expand to increase passenger numbers. The councillors of Bath and North East Somerset have by a majority condemned the privately owned airport’s plans to increase capacity to serve 15 million passengers a year.
The airport’s expansion plans would see 14,000 more flights a year and the runway lengthened so that larger transcontinental planes could fly from the airport – and if you have been to the airport recently you cannot help but notice the amount of building work going on.
After a legal battle the expansion plans have been given the green light which include expanding the present terminal, new multi-storey carparks and a hotel plus a bus and coach station.
Visitors to other airports will notice Bristol Lulsgate doesn’t have a tram or rail station although potentially a tramway down the A38 is feasible or a link to the main railway near Yatton along the disused line to Blagdon is possible in the future linking up to the Strawberry Line near the Yatton station – unlikely but feasible.
The new Metro Mayor Helen Godwin, North Somerset Council and B&NES all oppose the expansion – although the owners of the airport – a Canadian Teachers’ Pension Group and Australian funders and trusts plus multinational investment outfit StepStone – see the expansion as satisfying increasing customer demands. And they see the airport in terms of investment for their share holders and it is fair to say they see profits as their first objective – rather than the objections of locals living under the flight path of indeed local councils and councillors.
And they said they have addressed one of the objections by aiming to make the airport carbon neutral by 2030 – that’s the airport‘s energy usage – not the airplanes. The amount of CO2 generated by the airport is small compared to the amount from the aircraft. Somerset Confidential reported on the findings by Professor John Tarlton of the Bristol Tree Forum.
They reported the professor as saying: “The airport’s energy use, which was 6,300 tonnes per annum at the time of the last expansion plan, amounted to just 0.62 per cent of the airport’s total emissions. The remaining 99.3 per cent came from flights, which generated 747,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, passenger travel to and from the airport, which generated a further 184,000 tonnes and employee travel to and from work, which generated 74,000 more tonnes of CO2 a year.”
I, like thousands of other residents in the region use the airport from time to time – as indeed do some of those who are opposed to the expansion. Social media is a give away in this respect.
The question many ask is how are we to go on a holiday to Spain or Greece or travel to France on business when the alternative is a long journey by train, coach, ferry or even car which would cost more and take longer? I have met people who have cycled to Iberia but by the time they get there it’s time to cycle back so it’s not really viable if you have a two week break.
To travel to the south of Spain by train takes around 24 hours or more – while coach travel is similar depending on the company – and if you drive it’s at least that – without a break which is not recommended. Plus of course by road you have to take the ferry which all adds hours.
Bristol’s regional rivals are Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter and Bournemouth – none are easily accessible from Axbridge compared to Lulsgate although for most long-haul flights Heathrow is the main hub for travel. Alternative powered aircraft are a long way off so in the meantime many Axbridge residents will continue to use Bristol since the options are limited.
Note: picking up and dropping off by car – now the airport has a £7 fee to enter the drop off zone.
Axbridge Review is edited by Harry Mottram and is published for the interest of himself and fellow residents.
Harry is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc
Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk
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