Object to Staverton now!

Curious developments....Staverton airport have applied for planning permission for developments that will allow them to expand their services. You can see below my objection that I have sent to all councillors on the planning committee - I've also written to David Drew - see previous posts by clicking on Label.

Photo: Cape Farewell project looking at raising awareness about climate change. This piece is "Ice Burning Ice" by David Buckland.

I was going to urge everyone to object but rumour today has it that the application may have been withdrawn as the 5 year Business Plan contains 'sensitive' information (3rd March:Just confirmed news that only Business Plan withdrawn not application). I wonder what this might be and whether I am quoting any of that in this email below? I await to see.

I think it is still worth objecting from the website as they may just have withdrwan the Business Plan - certainly this is an important issue.....do please read on....

Re Planning Applications: Entrance 06/01669/FUL, Hill View 06/01670/FUL and Cattery 06/01671/FUL Please consider this objection for the above applications:

I object on grounds that I understand this site is on land designated as greenbelt and this application will lead to an increase in road traffic. I also do not consider enough has been done with regards to meet best practice in terms of Sustainable Urban Drainage. However I also object strongly that it will impact negatively on the economy and the environment. I cannot underestimate the importance of this point.

Gloucestershire Airports' 5-year Business Plan makes explicit the intention to significantly increase the number of aircraft using the site. The changes being made are not essential for the safe running of the airport but rather are about changing the use of the airport from light aircraft, to more, and larger aircraft, including what they describe as 'regional passenger aircraft' (up to 80 seater). The Plan also talks about the future "strong demand for a local airport", "developing commercial traffic" and the likely development of "regular, scheduled flights' to places like Dublin, Glasgow and London.

Please bear in mind the following points:

1. Unjust impact on others Why should Staverton Airport be allowed to expand its business and therefore increase its CO2 emissions, when every other business in Gloucestershire is being told to cut their CO2 emissions? Indeed if Staverton's expansion does go-ahead it will mean the rest of the economy will have to make even more significant cuts. This is a clear negative effect on our economy which I hope the Committee will consider. The Airport will also be contributing to the growing and increasingly worrying negative effects of climate change.

The draft South West Regional Spatial Strategy’s Sustainability Assessment (SSA) notes airport expansions will increase climate-changing CO2 emissions in the region. The SSA concludes, if expansions do go ahead, “all other gains in CO2 emissions will be cancelled out by growth in air traffic alone.” While this is clearly a reference to the larger expansions it nevertheless makes an important point about airport development.

The Environmental Audit Committee has written recently: “DfT’s plan for a large expansion of aviation was incompatible with the Government’s very demanding target for 60% carbon reductions by 2050—especially when taking into account the wider global warming contribution of aviation.” It goes onto say (bold in the report): “sadly, little has changed for the better since EAC’s last report on aviation. Progress on introducing financial mechanisms to reduce the growth in emissions from flying is slow, and both the Government and the industry are as intransigent as ever” and “even under the Government’s own and most optimistic projections, every other sector of the economy would have to cut its share of UK emissions, while that of aviation would be assisted to almost quintuple (to 24% of total UK emissions given a best case scenario).”

2. Aviation: particularly damaging The proposed developments at Staverton are aimed at more business jets and short services such as links to London. These types of services are the most CO2 intensive method of travel. In addition, the government’s aviation White Paper states that the high altitude that these gases are emitted at increases the global warming contribution by up to a factor of four. Indeed with the new super-fast trains many are arguing that all flights under 500 km should be banned unless there are exceptional circumstances. There is no moral justification for such damaging travel.

3. Business Plan: not sustainable and flawed The current forecasts by Staverton and the government are based on assumptions that the price of flying will continue to fall by 1% or more per year until 2030. Yet oil prices have already more than doubled per barrel since that forecast was made. The forecasts of increased aviation in the Business Plan fail to take account of the following points that will impact severely on their hopes to increase air traffic:

(i) The expected large price rises in fuel resulting from 'Peak Oil' which some consider we are reaching now (Peak Oil is the moment in history when our global oil supply can no longer keep pace with demand. In other words all the easy-to-get at oil is extracted first, then the slightly harder-to-get-at oil, then a variety of methods are used to get the harder-still-to-get-at-oil and then, finally, when you are spending as much energy getting the remaining oil out as the energy embedded in that oil itself, you just give up and leave it there. There is simply no point in trying to remove the remainder. The best estimates of this point by oil companies and scientists are sometime between 2002 and 2012). James May, CEO of the Air Transport Association writing in the New York Times, said: "No business model of any airline can survive with sustained jet-fuel prices of $90 to $100 a barrel." Yet those are exactly the prices predicted by many experts in the relatively near future; a major natural or manmade disruption could bring them about in a day. There is no relief in sight. This situation cannot be sustained. Within some years or less affordable passenger flight will be history.

(ii) The likely cuts to current tax subsidies to aviation and the introduction of international legislation and taxes to curb aviation in the light of climate change.

(iii) The impact of growing concern about aviation. This is likely to be expressed in terms of people seeking alternatives to aviation. It should be noted that travelling by train means 17 times fewer CO2 emissions than aviation and on many journeys can be almost as fast. Many commentators note that approaches like video conferencing are under-utilised by companies but will become increasingly important.

4. Contravenes the spirit of the Nottingham Declaration Tewkesbury Borough Council has pledged, along with Stroud District, Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City councils, to sign the Nottingham Declaration on climate change. The declaration commits councils to work with the Government to implement the UK Climate Change Programme locally. Staverton Airport should not be excluded from the cuts we all need to take in emissions.

5. Some final points Airports like Staverton are being expanded to serve wealthy businesses but the people who are being hit first and will be hit hardest by climate change are among the poorest on earth. People are already dying as a result of climate change. Indeed some have suggested that such plans will be considered criminal by future generations. The word 'criminal' is not used lightly: the average Somali is about 100 times more likely to die from events caused by climate change than the average American, despite emitting roughly 16,000 times less carbon.

The conclusions of the recent IPCC report on climate change make grim reading and even since then, more reports show they have likely underestimated the speed of climate change. As a society we face fundamental decisions about development and we need to recognise that the old assumptions about continued growth can no long apply.

Staverton is by no means unique: across the country there are plans for airport expansions, more roads and more coal-fired power stations. Our Government seems unwilling to make a stand, we have therefore, in my view a duty as local politicians to act to encourage a move towards carbon reductions - the opposite of what will occur with this airport expansion. We know that climate change is here, we know that we must cut emissions now: to expand Staverton would lead to an unacceptable rise in CO2 emissions and have a negative impact on our economy.

Last week, following a campaign that saw over 4,000 people write to oppose the plans, North Somerset District Council ordered an inquiry into the expansion of Bristol airport because of climate change and potential damage to the local environment. More people are waking up to the damage aviation is doing and will do if it is allowed to expand as proposed.

I urge you to reject proposals for infrastructure developments and runway enhancement at Staverton Airport. At the very least a proper independent assessment of the long-term impact this project will have on the environment and economy is needed. Thank you for taking the time to read this far. I am aware as members of the Committee you are unable to comment on these applications but I hope very much you will be able to bear the points in mind when they come before you.

Emails of committee members: councillor.brazil@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.browning@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.cromwell@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.davies@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.day@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.east@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.evetts@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.finch@tewkesbury.gov.uk, allen@allenkeyte.fsworld.co.uk, councillor.levett@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.ogden@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.smith@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.stephens@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.stokes@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.surman@tewkesbury.gov.uk, councillor.sztymiak@tewkesbury.gov.uk, robert.vines@gloucestershire.gov.uk