AIRPORT campaigners and a local businessman are calling on Leeds City Council to take immediate action to stop unlawful night flights.
Lawyers representing the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) have written to Leeds City Council, calling for urgent action to stop unlawful night time flying from Leeds Bradford Airport.
The letter follows Leeds Bradford Airport’s appeal against the decision of a Public Inquiry held earlier this year. The Inquiry rejected the airport’s attempt to reinterpret the rules that limit the number of planes allowed to fly at night.
Nick Hodgkinson, Chair of GALBA, said: “LBA claimed that all they wanted from the Public Inquiry was ‘clarification’ of the meaning of the night flight rules. The Planning Inspector gave them clarity but they don’t like it so they’ve decided to carry on ignoring the rules.
“It’s crystal clear that LBA has been behaving unlawfully for years and it’s up to the Council to put a stop to it. We know the Council cannot completely ban night time flying but they can and must make the airport stick to the rules. There’s no excuse for doing nothing.”
Nick added: “It’s no good waiting for LBA’s boss to do the right thing - he doesn’t care about rules, local people or the environment. All he cares about is increasing night flights and getting a big bonus on top of his six figure salary!”
Chris Bullock lives under the flight path in Otley and runs a successful local business, Active Tagging Limited, supplying equipment to the NHS.
He said: “I employ local people and I’m proud of what we do. But right now, I’m struggling to keep going because of the sleepless nights caused by Leeds Bradford Airport’s flights.”
“Most nights I wake up to the roar of planes. I head into work exhausted, too tired and upset to concentrate. My staff feel the same. Some are even thinking about moving away because they simply can’t get the rest they need. How are we meant to run businesses and drive safely on the roads when we’re permanently tired?”
GALBA said: "In July, a Planning Inspector rejected the two most important of LBA’s three applications for Certificates of Lawful Existing Use or Development (CLEUDs). The CLEUDs aimed to reinterpret the local conditions that limit the number of planes allowed to fly from LBA at night. An unintended consequence of the arguments used by LBA in the Public Inquiry was the Inspector ruled it is now unlawful for LBA to fly any of its most frequently used planes between 11pm and 7am."
Ian Coatman, Secretary of GALBA, explained: “LBA wanted to fly an unlimited number of planes with a noise rating of QC0.25 and QC0.125 at night. But their arguments backfired big time and now they’re not allowed to fly those planes at night at all. It was a massive own goal! GALBA and the Council have always said that these newer planes are allowed to fly at night but also that they must be counted towards the limit on the number of night flights.”
“The good news is that the Council already has the power simply to allow these planes to fly at night and also count them towards the night flight cap. LBA’s appeal makes no difference at all to this, so we’ve asked the Council to crack on and do it. We understand the Council is low on funds but this is a quick, simple and cheap way to make LBA behave.”
Leeds City Council declined to comment saying: "The Council’s position on this matter is currently subject to legal proceedings and we are unable to comment further at the present time."
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport declined to comment.
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