COVENTRY Airport’s temporary passenger terminal could
face further problems after the Government’s Planning Inspectorate deemed it an
“unauthorised development”.
In a letter to the airport, senior inspector manager
Peter Burley said the facility requires planning permission and an
environmental impact assessment.
The inspectorate will back Warwick District Council’s
enforcement notice to have the facility pulled down unless its order is
followed. The airport had previously claimed an EIA didn’t need to be conducted
because the development fell within “permitted development rights” rules, which
allows the building of a 500sq metre construction without formal approval.
The move comes after the council applied to the
Planning Inspectorate to consider whether the construction of the facility had
breached planning procedures.
The decision is a blow to the airport, which thought
its facility was in the clear after the High Court ruled against the council’s
decision to seek an injunction to stop the facility being used (Travel Weekly
May 31).
The Inspectorate also said the start of commercial
flights from the airport has had a big impact on the level of traffic through
nearby Bagington Village.