The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) has responded to the news that LBA has withdrawn its controversial expansion plans.
Chris Foren, chair of GALBA, said: “This is a victory for our climate and our communities - we are delighted that LBA has acknowledged defeat. It means that LBA cannot extend daytime flying hours nor remove night time flying controls. As they said in their own planning application, this means they don't have the capacity to increase passenger numbers above 5 million a year.”
“Make no mistake, this victory is down to the thousands of people who took action, donated funds and never gave up hope that we CAN make the right decisions today to build a better tomorrow. GALBA would like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who has backed our campaign.”
He added: “We will keep a close eye on what the airport’s Australian owners do next. We will act again if they try to break any rules. We remain ready to continue the fight to protect our climate and communities. But for today, we’re celebrating success!”
Additional notes:
1) Public inquiry - cancelled: the Planning Inspectorate has confirmed that the public inquiry has been cancelled following LBA’s decision to withdraw its application to expand.
2) LBA's Planning Application, Environmental Statement, Introduction, para 1.1.4:
“The Airport is forecast to continue to grow over the next decade reaching 7 million passengers per annum (mppa) by 2030, assuming that existing operational restrictions imposed by existing planning controls are amended through the current planning application”