Extinction Rebellion stage protest against Bristol Airport's expansion plans

Climate activists are holding a day of protest in Weston-super-Mare in opposition to Bristol Airport's expansion plans.

Activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) and associated groups are demonstrating in the Somerset town, which is where a planning inquiry into the proposals is taking place.

Last February, North Somerset Council refused Bristol Airport planning permission to increase the number of passengers by two million people a year.

But the airport has appealed the decision and an inquiry into into whether the airport should be allowed to expand is now in its seventh week.

Today (September 16), activists from XR and the Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) are asking for the views of local people about the proposals - with the aim of submitting these to the planning inspectors.

Both protest groups say environmental concerns mean the airport expansion should not be allowed.

'Colourful protest' - what is happening?

Extinction Rebellion kicked off the protest outside the Town Hall at 10am, with an information stall and a number of activists beginning to gather.

From 11am, 'Rosary the dinosaur' will walk around Weston-super-Mare to chat with members of the public and give out leaflets.

From midday, Extinction Rebellion say they will stage an "aircraft landing" outside the Town Hall, with activists forming a Landing Crew.

They then say there will be a procession, including a samba band and dancing.

Campaigners will regroup at 1:30pm to hold a rally and allow anyone to express their views about the expansion plans.

'We are taking climate change seriously'

Bristol Airport have defended their plans and reiterated its stance on pushing towards sustainability as a long-term goal.

It said: "Bristol Airport is one of the largest private sector employers in the region and is central to the local economy.

"If capacity is constrained, we will see passengers driving outside of the region and run the risk of investment going elsewhere, just when our region’s economy needs to recover. We are taking climate change seriously.

"We have a detailed roadmap in place to achieve net zero operations by 2030 and working with the region’s unique cluster of aerospace companies to tackle emissions from aircraft to achieve long term goals.”

A spokesperson had previously said the expansion will offer passengers more routes and flights directly from the South West, create jobs and support "greener and more sustainable, regional economic growth".

“Sustainable development has always been at the centre of Bristol Airport’s plans. The expansion proposals sit alongside a roadmap which sets out how the airport will achieve its ambition to become carbon neutral for direct emissions by 2025 and a net zero airport by 2050.  

“A comprehensive package of measures is also proposed to minimise the adverse environmental impacts of an additional two million passengers per annum.

"By preventing Bristol Airport from meeting demand for air travel from within the region it serves, the council will simply exacerbate the situation which already sees millions of passengers a year from our region drive to London airports in order to fly, creating carbon emissions and congestion in the process."