Bristol airport’s expansion looks set to go ahead after the Court of Appeal refused to hear environmental campaigners’ arguments.
The airport said on Thursday (May 18) it had been told that Bristol Airport Action Network’s (BAAN) latest legal bid had failed.
The court decided that none of the campaign group’s arguments had a real prospect of success, the airport said, with there also being no other compelling reason to entertain an appeal.
More: Bristol airport wins High Court battle to increase capacity
A spokesperson for the airport said: “The decision is excellent news for our region’s economy, allowing us to create thousands of new jobs in the years ahead and open up new direct links, and support inbound tourism.”
The expansion would see the airport’s capacity grow from 10 million passengers a year to 12 million.
Stephen Clarke, one of the BAAN coordinators, said: “I am naturally very disappointed and angry about this decision. It now seems very clear to me that the planning system concerning airport expansion has been rigged by the government to ignore the climate crisis.”
The airport said its expansion would lead to “enhanced customer facilities”.
A spokesperson added: “We will now take forward our multi-million-pound plans for net zero operations by 2030 and look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver responsible growth.”
The expansion plans were rejected on environmental grounds by North Somerset Council in January 2020, but the Planning Inspectorate overturned that decision.
The campaigners then went to the High Court, but their appeal failed.