PROTESTERS from Keynsham and Saltford were among those demonstrating against land at Felton Common being taken to enable further expansion at Bristol Airport.
The airport wants to lengthen its runway so it can accommodate larger planes, which would mean it can offer long-haul flights.
The development would see landing lights and fencing installed on part of Felton Common.
The airport has said it will provide replacement land. It has put in a planning application to North Somerset Council for the expansion.
It already has permission to expand to 12 million passengers a year and now wants to increase the maximum to 15 million passengers a year.
Saltford councillor Duncan Hounsell, who attended the demonstration, said: “This will mean more planes, bigger planes, 1,000 more night-flights, more passengers, more pollution, more traffic. I and the B&NES Lib Dems are opposed to this further expansion of Bristol Airport.”
Bristol Airport carried out its own public consultation in 2024 with 3,000 responses.
The public will be able to comment on the formal planning application soon, when the application is shown on the North Somerset Council planning web pages.
Night flights would rise to 5,000 a year.
Cllr Hounsell added: “Noise from night flights in the summer is a significant issue for residents of south Saltford and the Compton Dando parish area. Expanding airports makes no sense when our planet home is facing the challenges of climate change.”
The demonstration was organised by the Save Felton Common group. Among the protesters were members of Bristol Airport Action Network, which has described the airport’s plans to develop the common as a “land grab”.
Rich Prior, of Keynsham Extinction Rebellion, also took part in the demonstration.
He said: “There is again a huge outcry and disbelief regarding Bristol Airport’s continued desire to expand further.
“While most of us are taking action regarding the need to reduce our carbon footprint, the airline industry continue to disproportionately increase theirs.
“Sustainable aviation fuel is not going to help any time soon, if at all.
“The climate crisis is affecting us now, so we need to take action now and reduce our flying, not increase it.
“This further expansion to the airport is not wanted and must not be given the go-ahead. We all must continue to make our views known.”
The airport, which is owned by Macquarrie Asset Management, says it expects to reach its proposed cap of 15 million passengers a year in the late 2030s. Currently, 10.8 million people use the airport annually.
The airport says aircraft movements would increase from 85,990 to 100,000 per year in the longer term to meet demand. On a busy day in peak periods, this would result in 35 extra aircraft movements.
“While night flying restrictions would remain, we are proposing to increase night flights by 1,000 – on average, that’s four more flights on a busy night,” the airport said.
Pictured below, Cllr Duncan Hounsell at the Felton Common protest
