Archived press release

No Frills, No Terminals, No Carparks, No Planning Permission

30 March 2004

West Midlands Friends of the Earth is calling on the owners of Coventry Airport, German based consortium TUI, to call off tomorrow's launch of a cheap flights service from the airport (Wednesday 31st March 2004). The Secretary of State has now been called in to look at what is going on at the Baginton Airfield site, known as Coventry Airport, after objections were raised by local residents and the local planning authority. Members of the Campaign Against the Expansion of Coventry Airport (CAECA) will demonstrate outside the airport on the day of the launch.

The former owners of the site infuriated local residents, planners and councilors by building extensions to the runway and temporary passenger terminal without planning permission [1], before selling the site to TUI, the consortium which owns Thomsonfly and Lunn Poly on 19^th February 2004.

Local people are also angry at the former owner's deal with Thomsonfly to bring commercial passenger flights to the site, even though the site does not have a passenger terminal or car parking on site [2]. Since TUI took over the airport, the planning authority, Warwick District council has called in the Secretary of State to call a halt to operations because the airport is operating outside of agreed planning permissions [3].

The owners of the airfield have further angered local people by chopping the tops of trees in nearby ancient woodland, Willenhall Woods.

Friends of the Earth West Midlands Campaigns Coordinator Chris Crean said:

"Alistair Darling's White Paper was supposed to lend clarity to the future development of aviation in the UK, but the activities at Coventry are driving a horse and cart through his strategies. The aviation sector receives enough subsidies as it is without being able to operate outside the planning system. This operation should be halted immediately and if necessary the Secretary of State should intervene."

He added that they should cancel the launch and start the process again in a spirit of openness and transparency with local residents [4] and the local authority [5].

Richard Dyer, Aviation Campaigner at Friends of the Earth added:

"The Aviation industry is clearly an environmental menace out of control. Not only is it threatening the Government's targets for tackling climate change but elements of it are now running rough shod over the planning system as well, Alistair Darling must put a stop to this nonsense at once."

Notes

[1] 'We'll take legal action against airport' Feb 18 2004 Coventry Evening Telegraph

Councilors are threatening legal action against Coventry airport over building work carried out in the run-up to the launch of low-cost flights. At a planning meeting last night, Warwick district councilors agreed with officers that planning rules had been breached at the Baginton site. The row centres on a temporary passenger terminal and an extension to the runway. Flights to Europe by Thomsonfly.com are due to start on March 31.

[2] www.coventry-airport.co.uk/

[3] Letter from Warwick District council to GOWM 8th March 2004

[4] www.caeca.co.uk/

[5] www.warwickdc.gov.uk

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust