'Gobsmacking' Villagers' fury at airport lights plan on common

THE owners of an ancient common have said they are seeking legal advice after Bristol Airport announced it would need to use some of the land to install huge lights for aircraft approaching an extended runway.

- Tristan CORK

And on Felton Common, local residents around it are gearing up for another fight against their noisy neighbours on the other side of the A38.

One described the announcement that the airport has announced its plans to commandeer part of the ancient common as 'gobsmacking', with speculation that the very future of the airport's expansion plans hinge on the future of the common next door.

Earlier this month, Bristol Airport announced there was a PS to its 'Master Plan' to expand the airport for the second time this decade.

The first expansion from a capacity of nine million passengers a year to 12 million was, eventually, given the go-ahead in 2022 after years of argument, and since then visitors to Bristol Airport have navigated through what is effectively a huge building site as much of the car parks are redeveloped with a transport hub created.

Before the expansion has been finished, the airport unveiled a second plan a year ago to increase that capacity to 15 million passengers a year. This would also see the runway lengthened, to be able to accommodate the bigger planes that are used for long haul flights to North America and the Middle East.

A year later, and Bristol Airport added a detail to their Master Plan. Extending the runway much closer to the A38 would require also moving the approach landing lights, which currently sit in the space between the main road and the current runway end. The approach landing lights would instead need to be sited on the east side of the A38, on Felton Common.

Winford Parish Council, the owner of Felton Common, has been left surprised by the airport's sudden announcement that it would be needing some of the land. The airport is offering more land nearby to make up for the land on the common they are taking, but the question for Winford Parish Council's chair Paul Hatherall and the other councillors is whether, as landowners, they can simply say 'no' to the airport's request for land.