Leeds Bradford Airport loses appeal over night-time flights limit
Council officers were "working through the detail of the decisions to assess any potential planning implications," a spokesperson for the authority said.Currently Leeds Bradford Airport is permitted 2,920 take offs and landings between 23:00 and 07:00 during the summer.However, campaign group Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) said the airport had breached that limit in each of the past three years.The inspectorate's decision was welcomed by members of GALBA, with secretary Ian Coatman describing it as "a victory for local people, our environment and common sense".
The airport previously admitted it did "accidentally" breach the night-time regulations in 2022 due to "errors taking place in reporting procedures", but claimed it had not gone over the limits in 2023 and 2024 based on its interpretation of the rules."While it doesn't mean an end to all night flights, it does mean the airport must stick to the rules that limit the number of planes allowed to fly at night," said Mr Coatman, who lives near the airport in Yeardley.Airport bosses had wanted newer aircraft to be exempt from the cap, as well as smaller planes and flights which had been delayed.They made three applications to the council for Certificates of Lawful Existing Use or Development (CLEUDs), asking them to reinterpret the meaning of the local night flight planning conditions.A spokesperson said updating the rules would "provide the correct legal interpretation of the existing planning conditions governing the operation of night flights at LBA".However, two CLEUD applications were rejected by the council and the third was left "undecided", prompting LBA to appeal.The planning inspectorate dismissed two of the three appeals, but said the council's decision to reject an exemption for some smaller, less noisy planes was "not well-founded".
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Full details of Heathrow's plans for a third runway revealed
Heathrow Airport has said it can build a third runway for £21bn within the next decade. Europe's busiest travel hub has submitted its plans to the government - with opponents raising concerns about carbon emissions, noise pollution and environmental impacts. The west London airport wants permission to create a 3,500m (11,400ft) runway, but insists it is open to considering a shorter one instead. 5:31 In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government supports a "badly needed" expansion to connect the UK to the world and open up new growth opportunities. But London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is still against a new runway because of "the severe impact" it will have on the capital's residents. Under Heathrow's proposal, the runway would be constructed to the northwest of its existing location - allowing for an additional 276,000 flights per year. The airport also wants to create new terminal capacity for 150 million annual passengers - up from 84 million - with plans involving a new terminal complex named T5XW and T5XN. Terminal 2 would be extended, while Terminal 3 and the old Terminal 1 would be demolished. The runway would be privately funded, with the total plan costing about £49bn, but some airlines have expressed concern that the airport will hike its passenger charges to pay for the project. EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis said an expansion would "represent a unique opportunity for easyJet to operate from the airport at scale for the first time and bring with it lower fares for consumers". Thomas Woldbye, the airport's chief executive, said in a statement that "it has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow". "We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity," he added. "With a green light from government and the correct policy support underpinned by a fit-for-purpose, regulatory model, we are ready to mobilise and start investing this year in our supply chain across the country. "We are uniquely placed to do this for the country. It is time to clear the way for take-off." The M25 motorway would need to be moved into a tunnel under the new runway under the airport's proposal. London mayor still opposed Sir Sadiq says City Hall will "carefully scrutinise" the proposals, adding: "I'll be keeping all options on the table in how we respond." Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, also said that if Sir Keir Starmer wants to be "seen as a climate leader", then backing Heathrow expansion is "the wrong move". Earlier this year, Longford resident Christian Hughes told Sky News that his village and others nearby would be "decimated" if an expansion were to go ahead. 2:33 It comes after hotel tycoon Surinder Arora published a rival Heathrow expansion plan, which involves a shorter runway to avoid the need to divert the M25 motorway. The billionaire's Arora Group said a 2,800m (9,200ft) runway would result in "reduced risk" and avoid "spiralling cost". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will consider all plans over the summer so that a review of the Airports National Policy Statement can begin later this year. It also comes after Sky News reported on a Heathrow Airport-funded group sending leaflets supporting a third runway to thousands of homes across west London. The group, called Back Heathrow, sent leaflets to people living near the airport, claiming expansion could be the route to a "greener" airport and suggesting it would mean only the "cleanest and quietest aircraft" fly there. 3:21 Opponents of the airport's expansion said the information provided by the group is "incredibly misleading".
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Heathrow submits plans for third runway - and says it can be built within a decade
Heathrow Airport has said it can build a third runway for £21bn within the next decade. Europe's busiest travel hub has submitted its plans to the government - with opponents raising concerns about carbon emissions, noise pollution and environmental impacts. The west London airport wants permission to create a 3,500m (11,400ft) runway, but insists it is open to considering a shorter one instead. 5:31 In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government supports a "badly needed" expansion to connect the UK to the world and open up new growth opportunities. But London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is still against a new runway because of "the severe impact" it will have on the capital's residents. Under Heathrow's proposal, the runway would be constructed to the northwest of its existing location - allowing for an additional 276,000 flights per year. The airport also wants to create new terminal capacity for 150 million annual passengers - up from 84 million - with plans involving a new terminal complex named T5XW and T5XN. Terminal 2 would be extended, while Terminal 3 and the old Terminal 1 would be demolished. The runway would be privately funded, with the total plan costing about £49bn, but some airlines have expressed concern that the airport will hike its passenger charges to pay for the project. EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis said an expansion would "represent a unique opportunity for easyJet to operate from the airport at scale for the first time and bring with it lower fares for consumers". Thomas Woldbye, the airport's chief executive, said in a statement that "it has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow". "We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity," he added. "With a green light from government and the correct policy support underpinned by a fit-for-purpose, regulatory model, we are ready to mobilise and start investing this year in our supply chain across the country. "We are uniquely placed to do this for the country. It is time to clear the way for take-off." The M25 motorway would need to be moved into a tunnel under the new runway under the airport's proposal. London mayor still opposed Sir Sadiq says City Hall will "carefully scrutinise" the proposals, adding: "I'll be keeping all options on the table in how we respond." Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, also said that if Sir Keir Starmer wants to be "seen as a climate leader", then backing Heathrow expansion is "the wrong move". Earlier this year, Longford resident Christian Hughes told Sky News that his village and others nearby would be "decimated" if an expansion were to go ahead. 2:33 It comes after hotel tycoon Surinder Arora published a rival Heathrow expansion plan, which involves a shorter runway to avoid the need to divert the M25 motorway. The billionaire's Arora Group said a 2,800m (9,200ft) runway would result in "reduced risk" and avoid "spiralling cost". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will consider all plans over the summer so that a review of the Airports National Policy Statement can begin later this year. It also comes after Sky News reported on a Heathrow Airport-funded group sending leaflets supporting a third runway to thousands of homes across west London. The group, called Back Heathrow, sent leaflets to people living near the airport, claiming expansion could be the route to a "greener" airport and suggesting it would mean only the "cleanest and quietest aircraft" fly there. 3:21 Opponents of the airport's expansion said the information provided by the group is "incredibly misleading".
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Heathrow Airport's expansion plans to cost £49bn, plans reveal
Heathrow Airport has revealed details of its plan to expand and modernise the airport at a cost of £49bn. Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, said expansion was "urgent" as the airport was currently working at capacity, "to the detriment of trade and connectivity". The work would be funded by private government has backed plans for a third runway, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying it would "make Britain the world's best connected place to do business".However, the plans face opposition from environmental groups, politicians, and locals. London's mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said it would have a "severe impact on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets". The plans come a day after the deadline set by the government for parties to submit plans, which it estimates would be completed within a decade, include:Creation of a third runway, called the "North-Western Runway", which would be up to 3,500m (11,500 ft) long. Heathrow bosses say this will increase capacity to 756,000 flights and 150m passengers a year - it currently serves about 84mA new terminal called T5X, expanding Terminal 2 and three new satellite terminals. It would close Terminal 3Enhancement of local rail connections, plus walking and cycling routesDiversion of the M25, which would involve a new road tunnel under the airport, and widening the motorway between junctions 14-15Creation of two new Heathrow parkways Improvements to Heathrow's bus and coach stationsHeathrow said it would cost £21bn to build the third runway, which includes procuring the land, changing the M25 and other associated infrastructure costs while building the new terminal would be £12bn and modernising the current airport's infrastructure £15bn. Due to rounding, it will total £49bn.A spokesperson added the plans would grow the UK economy by 0.43% GDP. 'Unlock billions' The plans revealed by Heathrow were welcomed by business groups and airline companies. A joint statement from the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, MakeUK, Federation of Small Businesses and Institute of Directors, said it was "an investment in the nation's future".It added: "The benefits are clear: for exporters, it opens up vital access to major and emerging markets; for visitors, it enhances global and domestic connectivity; and for businesses, it unlocks billions in private investment, strengthening supply chains, creating jobs, and driving skills across the country."John Dickie, chief executive of BusinessLDN, said as the airport was currently operating at full capacity, the expansion would give businesses "better connectivity to overseas markets and support Britain's growth".He added it would also help achieve the government's target of 50 million international visitors per year to the UK. Environmental damage Mr Woldbye said Heathrow's submission was in line with the aviation industry's target to be net zero by 2050. He added that Heathrow was "the airport in the world with the highest uptake of Sustainable Aviation Fuel", and that planning permission would not be granted by government unless legal limits of emissions were adhered to. However, the plans were heavily criticised by groups who called the environmental justifications for the plans as "hopeful marketing spin". Dr Douglas Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, said the government had "decided yet again to prioritise more leisure opportunities for a comparatively small group of frequent fliers, whilst the rest of us have to live with the consequences of their disproportionate polluting".He suggested a "frequent flier levy", and said no expansion should take place until there was a solution to the "pollution problem". His concerns were echoed by politicians including Sir Sadiq who said he remained "unconvinced" that hundreds of thousands of additional flights each year would not have a "hugely detrimental" added City Hall would "carefully scrutinise" the impact the extension would have on people living in the area and the "huge knock-on effects for our transport infrastructure, which would require a comprehensive and costed plan to manage". A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: "Heathrow is already the single largest polluter in the UK, and the Climate Change Committee itself has said expansion would put the UK's climate goals at risk."It's also clear we can't rely on the silver bullet of Sustainable Aviation Fuels to save the day," they added. The Green Party deputy leader, Zack Polankski, said the plans were being delivered "regardless" of the environmental impact. "If Labour's environmental commitments were worth the paper they're written on, these proposals would never have seen the light of day," he residents living in Harmondsworth, near the airport, told the BBC earlier this year a third of the village would be destroyed if a third runway was to go ahead. Rival plans Heathrow's plans follow the publication of a rival proposal by the Arora Group, which has outlined a way to expand the airport without needing to redirect the M25. Owner of the group, hotel tycoon Surinder Arora, said the creation of a third runway and a new terminal, under his plans, had a cost estimate of under £25bn, not including the redevelopment of the airport's existing central proposal crucially does not involve an expensive alteration to the M25, as the group said it was possible to build a 2,800-metre (9,200 ft) third runway instead of the full-length 3,500-metre (11,500 ft) runway planned by the Group said its plan, called Heathrow West, could have a new runway fully operational by 2035, while a new terminal would open in two phases, in 2036 and 2040. Moving the M25 When asked about the added expense of altering the M25 to accommodate a new, third runway, Heathrow's CEO said: "The whole conversation about the M25 has been slightly exaggerated", and that disruption to drivers would be minimal. "We will build a new and much better M25, 100m (330 ft) to the west of the current one. It will be wider and it will be safer and it will have more capacity," Mr Woldbye added. He said plans to create a much shorter runway to avoid moving the M25 - like the one proposed by The Aurora Group - would "not provide the capacity that we and the airlines need", but said the airport would be open to a discussion with airlines about building a shorter runway if it could deliver the same benefits. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the two proposals were a "significant step towards unlocking growth, creating jobs, and delivering vital national infrastructure"."We'll consider the proposals carefully over the summer so that we can begin a review of the Airports National Policy Statement later this year," she added. 'Half the battle' BBC London's political editor Karl Mercer said: "History has not been kind to plans to build a third runway, whoever has put them forward, and whichever colour government is in power."Gordon Brown's Labour government supported Heathrow expansion in 2009 - that didn't happen. "Then during Conservative Theresa May's reign in 2018, MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of a third runway - only for a series of court challenges and then Covid to put an end to those plans. "There are plenty of Labour MPs in the capital who are still strongly opposed to expansion - 28 voted against it last time and most are still in the House. "Having bidders interested is only half the battle - the hardest half will be getting it delivered."
