Bristol Airport's £75m expansion plans unveiled

The first glimpse of what Bristol Airport will look like once a £70-million expansion plan has been completed were made public yesterday.

If the ambitious scheme is given the go-ahead it will more than double the size of the airport and will see passenger numbers increase to 10 million within the next eight years.

Councillors were given a preview of the plans at a meeting yesterday but it also emerged that a planning application was not likely to be lodged with North Somerset Council until March at the earliest.

Bosses at the airport had planned to start what is sure to be a lengthy planning process this autumn but say they have delayed the application so further public consultations can take place.

If the scheme goes ahead the terminal building will almost double in size with the addition of two glass fronted wings.

A three-star hotel is also being planned along with a five-storey car park.

As a result of the terrorist attacks on Glasgow Airport, the Government has insisted on a vehicle exclusion zone at all British airports and the forecourt at Lulsgate is set to be replaced with a grass, pedestrian area.

Instead, a new passenger drop-off area and bus terminus will be built on the top floor of the car park, which will be linked directly to the terminal building by a glass-walled corridor.

The new car park will have enough space for 3,600 cars and will include both short-term and long-term sections as well as space for hire cars.

There are also plans to increase parking on land around the Bristol site to cope with the expected increase in passenger numbers - six million passed through the airport over the past year.

The aim is also to increase the number of people using public transport to the airport by improving links and the number of bus services.

The number of stands for aircraft would also be increased by nine, to 33.

Both current chief executive Paul Kehoe and his replacement-to-be Robert Sinclair were at yesterday's consultative committee meeting and both fielded questions from local councillors.

Alan Davies, director of environment and planning at Bristol Airport, has put together the plans and is working on the outline planning application which will be lodged with North Somerset Council in March if all goes to plan.

He said: "We are committed to developing and enhancing the airport's role as a regional gateway for international travel.

"Demand for air travel to and from the South West is forecast to grow, and by increasing the choice of services we offer and enhancing the facilities we provide to passengers we can reduce reliance on airports outside the region."

The consultation - to take place in January - will include public displays and presentations along with information in libraries and on Bristol Airport's website.

Hilary Burn, a member of the Stop Bristol Expansion Group, said: "The trouble with the airport is that it keeps moving the goalposts when it comes to the scale of the expansion.

"People in North Somerset are not happy with the airport and they are really concerned with the expansion plans.

"A lot of people are saying that enough is enough."

Mr Kehoe, current chief executive at Bristol Airport, said: "Our customer base is across the South West but the people of North Somerset have been voting with their feet. We know that a large proportion of people in the area are flying from here rather than going to London."