Secretary of States throws LBA terminal plans into the long grass
The UK Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP has thrown plans to replace Leeds Bradford Airports terminal into the long grass. Supporters of the airport see this as a divisive decision which will further impede the region's economic recovery from the Covid pandemic.
The government has clearly bowed down to pressure from environmental groups to stall Leeds Bradford Airport's plans, which could have kick-started the economic recovery in West Yorkshire. Levelling up the North-South divide in terms of the economic stimulus that airports create just took another hit, with airports in the South East being able to handle considerably more passengers than Leeds Bradford and subsequently reaping the financial benefits of this while Leeds and West Yorkshire fall further behind the curve.
The plans for Leeds Bradford Airport's new terminal would enable the airport to facilitate 7mppa, a figure which was already agreed through Leeds City Council's formal planning process. For now though, we're stuck with an inadequate terminal building for the foreseeable future, as the Government has given no indication when a decision of how to proceed will be made. This is particularly interesting when you consider that Leeds Bradford already has the opportunity for the passenger growth that so many oppose, by proceeding with the already agreed plans to extend the existing terminal. What a shame it would be for West Yorkshire if we were stuck with an inadequate airport terminal serving close to 7mppa, when we could have had a carbon neutral, state of the art building for them to use.
The UK Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP has thrown plans to replace Leeds Bradford Airports terminal into the long grass. Supporters of the airport see this as a divisive decision which will further impede the region's economic recovery from the Covid pandemic.
The government has clearly bowed down to pressure from environmental groups to stall Leeds Bradford Airport's plans, which could have kick-started the economic recovery in West Yorkshire. Levelling up the North-South divide in terms of the economic stimulus that airports create just took another hit, with airports in the South East being able to handle considerably more passengers than Leeds Bradford and subsequently reaping the financial benefits of this while Leeds and West Yorkshire fall further behind the curve.
The plans for Leeds Bradford Airport's new terminal would enable the airport to facilitate 7mppa, a figure which was already agreed through Leeds City Council's formal planning process. For now though, we're stuck with an inadequate terminal building for the foreseeable future, as the Government has given no indication when a decision of how to proceed will be made. This is particularly interesting when you consider that Leeds Bradford already has the opportunity for the passenger growth that so many oppose, by proceeding with the already agreed plans to extend the existing terminal. What a shame it would be for West Yorkshire if we were stuck with an inadequate airport terminal serving close to 7mppa, when we could have had a carbon neutral, state of the art building for them to use.
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