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Aviation
is a major contributor to Climate Change and is growing rapidly. According
to the Government aviation accounts for 13% of climate change damage.
Although it has set a target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80%
by 2050 its Aviation White Paper of 2003 supported more than doubling
the number of air passengers by 2030. While other sectors are reducing
their contributions to Climate Change, damage from aviation is increasing
massively.
Much of the proposed expansion of aviation is based on the growth forecasts
in the Government’s White Paper on Aviation. This was reviewed in
2006 but it remains, in our view, out of date, ignoring the impact of
fuel price rises, the economic downturn and growing concerns about Climate
Change.
There is now a widespread concensus that there is a need to address the
fact that aviation does not properly pay for its environmental impact.
We do not want the Midlands countryside to be sacrificed for proposals
that may not be justifiable in sustainability terms.
We are, therefore, opposed to large scale expansion of airports in this
region. We favour a managed, planned approach in which the economic benefits
and disbenefits of aviation are balanced against the environmental and
other damage it causes.
Aviation growth also has major impacts on the areas around expanding airports,
including noise impacts, light pollution and loss of tranquility. Aviation
fuels traffic growth on many major roads. New industrial estates, warehousing,
offices, housing, shops and other services which cluster around airports
further eat into the countryside.
There are a wide range of airports in our region. Birmingham
International Airport is the largest airport and is currently set
to almost treble the number of passengers by 2030. Coventry
Airport expanded but permission for terminal buildings was refused
and scheduled flights have stopped. Wolverhampton
Business Airport has also put forward plans for expansion in the past.
The expansion of scheduled passenger services at these larger airports
also tends to push other aviation, such as business jets, to smaller airfields
scattered in the countryside. For example, Tatenhill Airfield, near Burton-upon-Trent
in Staffordshire has expansions plans in what it describes as ‘the
heart of the British countryside’.
Most of these issues are being reconsidered in Phase
2 of the Regional Spatial Strategy review. We don’t believe
either the present policy or the proposed changes are adequate. We are
arguing for a less ambiguous policy which manages the growth in aviation
in the West Midlands.
Aviation
Masterplan (pdf)
15.01.09
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