By Jacob Smith
Leeds Bradford Airport plans to build a new state-of-the-art terminal expected to cost around £150m.
This latest announcement by Leeds Bradford Airport explains that rather than extending the existing terminal, the plan is to now build an entirely new facility which will replace the current terminal.
Plans had already been approved by Leeds City Council to extend the existing terminal, but these plans have now been replaced by the idea of a totally new building which will remain within the airport’s boundary.
The new plans are set to be submitted in the spring of 2020 and the new building is designed to be a more efficient and sustainable development.
The upgraded terminal if approved, would be classified as ‘excellent’ by the BREEAM sustainability standard which is awarded to the most environmentally efficient buildings internationally.
Leeds Bradford Airport, said:
“Completion of the terminal would also enable Leeds Bradford Airport to meet its target of net zero carbon emissions from airport operations by 2023.”
Public consultations are currently underway so that the public can feedback their point of views to the airport.
Leeds City Councillor Jonathon Taylor, who represents Horsforth and Rawdon, said:
“Leeds Bradford Airport is an important employer for North West Leeds and for Leeds in general and plays a big part in the economy for West Yorkshire as a region. We want to try and support the airport as much as possible but looking at these new proposals and the proposed change in the flight times is something that is difficult particularly for residents in my ward here in Horsforth and Rawdon. There are residents who live incredibly close to the runway and who are often disturbed by some of the flights, so by proposing to have those flights even earlier in the morning unfortunately makes this proposal very difficult to support.”
North Somerset Council have recently rejected plans to expand Bristol’s Airport expansion and Heathrow’s proposed third runway has also been rejected in court, with a judge ruling that climate concerns were ignored.
Coun Jonathon Taylor, said:
“I like to think of each application on its own merit and there’s potentially an argument that Bristol have done the right thing for them and if we were to follow suit we’d have to see if it’s a good thing for Leeds or not.”
Photo Credit: Pixels.com / Aviation is responsible for 7% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Emissions forecast to grow to 25% by 2050 as other emissions (e.g. from electricity generation) fall.
Leeds Bradford Airport plans to expand from 4m to 7m passengers a year by 2030.
Leeds Climate Commission published a paper in December 19’ titled ‘Aviation emissions from Leeds pose “major challenge” for decarbonisation of city’ and Leeds Climate Change Citizens’ Jury have also voiced their opposition to the airport’s expansion.
Members of the Leeds Climate Change Citizens’ Jury have recommended that the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport be stopped, with 18 out of 21 jurors believing that the airport expansion is the wrong decision.
Hywel Rees, Leeds Bradford Airport CEO, in a statement, said:
“This proposal is not about growing beyond our predicted capacity, it is about meeting the same demand in a more efficient way and with a smaller environmental footprint. It is about creating a more modern building that can achieve operational excellence to give passengers the best experience and it is about addressing the challenges we know our passengers face far too frequently and that cannot be overcome within our current building.”
If approved, it is anticipated that work will commence before the end of 2020 and that the terminal would be completed in early-2023.
The next step for Leeds Bradford Airport is to submit their formal application following on from their initial pre-application plans which have already been submitted to Leeds City Council.
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