19 May 2020
It's official: the owners of Leeds Bradford Airport, AMP Capital, have now submitted their planning application, designed to increase passenger numbers from 4 million now to 9 million in the future. If you'd like to help prevent this application from succeeding, here are some ways to help. We only have a few weeks!
Quick links:
GALBA website: https://www.galba.uk/
Crowdfunder: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/galba
Crowdfunding
GALBA (Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport) are using an experienced environmental barrister to challenge LBA. Good quality legal advice doesn’t come free. So GALBA needs to raise money to cover the legal costs and other campaign activities. You can donate by clicking on this Crowdfunder link: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/galba
Or by making an online bank transfer directly into GALBA’s bank account. Name: GALBA. Sort code: 60-83-01. Acc No: 2042 3670.
PLEASE SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CROWDFUNDING APPEAL WITH EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS THE CAMPAIGN!
Consultation timescale
Thanks to everyone who contacted the Council about the short timescale. We’ve had this response from the Planning Department:
“The application still needs to be publicised in the press and site notices also need to be erected. This will extend the statutory consultation period to at least the 12th June 2020. Having said that the application is at a very early stage and it is appreciated that this will generate a high level of public interest. Comments will still be taken into account prior to any decision being made, even where those comments are received after the end of the formal consultation period. If an extension of the publicity period is necessary, beyond the 12th June, this can be arranged in due course.”
Register your objection
First, you need to find LBA’s planning application on Leeds City Council’s website. Click on this link: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/planning/planning-permission/view-and-comment-on-planning-applications
Click on the green box: ‘search planning applications using public access’. Then enter the LBA application reference number in the box: 20/02559/FU and click on search. This opens LBA’s planning application.
Near the top of the planning application page, click on ‘make a comment’ or ‘save search’. This will take you to a registration page which is quick and easy. Then you can go back to the planning application to register your objections.
You can object now or at any time up to 12 June (possibly later but that’s unclear). GALBA members and the barrister are going through the application in detail and will produce a detailed objection. So if you prefer to wait a while for more details, that’s fine. But you don’t need to be a technical or legal expert to object - you can say why you personally oppose LBA’s plans.
You can object to any or all aspects of the plan: noise, air pollution, climate damage, traffic congestion, etc. If you want some guidance on the key climate issues that GALBA has identified, look at the Campaign Guides page of our website: www.galba.uk
Contact the media, councillors and MPs
If you haven’t already done this, please make clear your opposition. It’s much more effective to send your own personal email and/or Tweet, saying why you oppose expansion. If you want any guidance, the following are key issues and there’s more on the Campaign Guides page on our website.
More noise - LBA wants to extend flying times by 90 minutes, starting at 6am and finishing at 11.30pm - there’d be roughly one flight every 6 minutes and more flying at night too
Worse climate damage - LBA’s expansion would double its greenhouse gas emissions in the middle of the climate emergency
More air pollution - increasing flights from 38,000 per year to 70,000 per year means more air pollution
Worse traffic congestion - increasing passengers from 4 million per year to 7 million means more cars on local roads
It’s unnecessary - aviation industry experts say that demand for air travel will stay low for several years after the COVID crisis - why allow the planning application now?
Find Leeds councillors
https://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0
Contact local media
Here are local Leeds media email and Twitter addresses. Please send your message as soon as possible - today is best! The first five below are our priorities but feel free to contact as many or as few you can.
Priorities:
YEP: yep.newsdesk@ypn.co.uk @LeedsNews
YEP editor: laura.collins@jpimedia.co.uk
Yorkshire Post: yp.newsdesk@ypn.co.uk @yorkshirepost
Yorkshire Post editor: yp.editor@ypn.co.uk
Leeds Live: leeds.live@reachplc.com @LeedsLiveNews
TV and radio:
BBC Radio Leeds: Leeds@bbc.co.uk @BBCLeeds
BBC Look North: look.north@bbc.co.uk @BBCLookNorth
ITV Calendar: calendar@itv.com @itvcalendar
Local papers:
Wharfedale Observer: https://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/contactus/ @Wharfeobserver
North Leeds Life: carole@northleedslife.co.uk @NorthLeedsIife
Please let us know if you have other local media contacts so we can write to them as well.
GALBA needs more members!
Have you joined GALBA? Can you persuade your family members and friends to join GALBA? The more people we have involved in the campaign, the better our chance of success. It’s free and only takes a couple of minutes. Join GALBA on the Sign Up page on this website: www.galba.uk
Social media
If you use any of these, please like/follow and share GALBA messages - especially the Crowdfunder. The more ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ we have, the more people will hear our message.
Facebook page - search for Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport, ‘like’ the page and check the posts
Twitter - @GfAoLBA, please follow us
Instagram - @GfAoLBA, please follow us
Media coverage
Our press statement was covered in the Yorkshire Evening Post: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/politics/campaigners-threaten-legal-action-against-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion-2852217?utm_campaign=leed-news-api&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=87922058&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8H46gr_PUSpJdAMC92QwnJq77cMGgjHmgLfF5WgKMZBbm5WljkdV2_5MrUMcTjZ-isgNZl2t_PT9E-WTpP3eF-2NO7yQ&_hsmi=87922058
