WEST OF ENGLAND JOINT SPATIAL PLAN: ISSUES AND OPTIONS WEST OF ENGLAND JOINT TRANSPORT STUDY: ISSUES JOINT RESPONSE BY BRISTOL AIRPORT LTD

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1 WEST OF ENGLAND JOINT SPATIAL PLAN: ISSUES AND OPTIONS WEST OF ENGLAND JOINT TRANSPORT STUDY: ISSUES JOINT RESPONSE BY BRISTOL AIRPORT LTD Contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Background on Bristol Airport 3.0 Current planning position 4.0 Existing surface access provision 5.0 Comparisons with other UK Airports 6.0 Future growth forecasts and trends 7.0 Surface access requirements 8.0 Consultation response to questions in the Joint Spatial Plan: Issues and Options 9.0 Consultation response to questions in the Joint Transport Study: Issues 10.0 Consultation response to the Joint Spatial Plan Green Belt Assessment 11.0 Conclusions 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Bristol Airport welcomes the opportunity to respond to consultations on the Joint Spatial Plan and the Joint Transport Study and is committed to constructive engagement throughout this important process. As a major piece of regional infrastructure, Bristol Airport has a key role to play in providing transport connectivity for the West of England, generating significant benefits in terms of GVA, jobs and quality of life. These benefits are distributed across the four Unitary Authorities in the West of England and beyond, and we therefore welcome the joined up approach taken by Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council on these issues. 1.2 While we welcome the consideration given to Bristol Airport s transport requirements in the consultation documents, we feel there is significant scope to be much more ambitious by bringing surface access in line with our own aspirations to be a world leading airport. Comparison with other UK regional airports (see paragraph 5.1 below) highlights a very significant surface access deficit which it is essential to address to enable Bristol Airport s continued growth and therefore generate maximum economic value for the West of England while supporting the shift to more sustainable modes of transport to and from the Airport where possible. This process presents a real opportunity to address this challenge. 1.3 To support the case for a more ambitious approach to surface access to Bristol Airport, these representations set out the current performance of Bristol Airport and its benefits to the regional economy, and an indication of future growth forecasts. However, both growth in connectivity and the economic benefits it delivers could be constrained by a failure to address shortcomings in surface access infrastructure.

2 1.4 This submission also refers to the questions identified in the two main consultation documents: Joint Spatial Plan Issues and Options and; Joint Transport Study Issues. 2.0 Background on Bristol Airport 2.1 Bristol Airport is the major regional airport for South West England and South Wales, serving a catchment area with a population between seven and eight million people within a two hour journey time. Handling 6.76 million passengers during 2015, Bristol is the ninth busiest airport in the UK, the fifth busiest outside London, and the only top ten UK airport to see passenger growth every year since Bristol Airport is an important economic asset to the economy of the region it serves, generating 388 million in GVA and supporting more than 11,000 jobs. To put this in context, this equates to 5% of all those employed in the city of Bristol. It also provides approximately 3,000 jobs on site. Notably, according to a recent survey by Business West, more than half of local businesses believe regional airports should be prioritised for development over a national hub. 2.3 The Airport provides direct connections to more than 110 destinations, with hundreds more accessible worldwide via frequent daily services to hub airports including Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris. With regards to airlines, Bristol Airport is easyjet s largest UK base outside London (with 12 based aircraft serving 56 destinations) and is also home to a Ryanair operation serving 29 destinations. An expanding bmi regional presence provides multiple daily frequencies to key business destinations including Paris, Frankfurt and Munich, while Brussels Airlines and KLM serve their respective hubs three and four times daily. The major tour operators, Thomas Cook and TUI, base aircraft at Bristol year-round, and a number of other European regional carriers cater for a mix of leisure, business and inbound traffic. 2.4 In January 2016, Bristol Airport was also recognised as the best performing UK airport for the second year running in a league table measuring punctuality of flights across the globe. With an on-time performance rating of per cent, Bristol ranked sixth in the European, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) region and tenth overall in the world. 3.0 Current planning position 3.1 The Airport has an existing site-wide planning permission in place (ref. 09/P/1020/OT2) for development of facilities to handle 10 million passengers per annum (mppa). Completion of a second major terminal extension in 2016 will take investment since 2010 to more than 120 million. Development is concentrated on existing operational areas and is located almost entirely within the current Airport boundary. A comprehensive package of controls, monitoring and mitigation measures accompanies the development covering noise and night flying, air quality, nature conservation and surface access. 3.2 With regards to planning policy, Bristol Airport lies partly within the Green Belt, with an inset which includes the runway and land to its north within the Airport Operational Boundary. Airport development to the south of the runway is currently subject to Green Belt restrictions.

3 4.0 Existing surface access provision 4.1 Bristol Airport is located seven miles to the south west of the city of Bristol and lies within the administrative boundary of North Somerset Council. Road access is provided by the A38, a strategic route which runs south from Bristol city centre, continuing 20 miles to the south to Junction 22 of the M5. For those accessing Bristol Airport from the north, west and east, there is no direct connection to the Airport with the majority of journeys having to travel through Bristol city centre and then onwards via the A Approximately 14 per cent of passenger journeys to and from the Airport are currently undertaken by public transport. These journeys are undertaken by a range of bus and coach services which operate at Bristol Airport. The most popular bus service is the Flyer Express which operates up to every eight minutes at peak times between the Airport and Bristol Temple Meads station, carrying more than 891,000 passengers in This represents in excess of a threefold increase in usage since In addition, a recent staff travel survey (Autumn 2015) identified that 26% of staff use the Flyer as their primary method of transport to and from work. Whilst these figures show a desire from passengers and staff to using public transport, there is still a significant opportunity to further improve public transport use. The Airport does not benefit from a direct rail link with passengers having to disembark at Bristol Temple Meads and then proceed to the Airport via the Flyer Express bus service. Bristol Airport has contributed over 4.7 million (as part of its Section 106 Agreement) towards the South Bristol Link and AVTM MetroBus schemes. These schemes are welcomed in providing a more reliable journey time for the Flyer Express service. However, from the new junction of the South Bristol Link on the A38 up to the Airport (approximately 5 miles), bus journeys remain subject to the single lane A38 with no bus priority. 5.0 Comparisons with other UK airports 5.1 Bristol Airport is the only airport in the UK s top ten without road access to at least dual carriageway standard or a direct rail link. The next largest UK airport served by a single carriageway road Liverpool John Lennon serves more than two million fewer passengers per annum than Bristol. The A38 provides not only the primary road link to the Airport from Bristol and the surrounding catchment area to the north, east and west, it also serves as a key commuter route into Bristol from towns and villages to its south. Problems with capacity at peak times impact not only on those accessing the Airport by car, but also upon the journey time reliability of the Airport Flyer service. 5.2 The investment into the new MetroBus routes in Bristol is welcomed. However, this should be put into perspective by comparison with other infrastructure projects linked to airports across the UK. For example, Birmingham and Manchester Airports stand to benefit from connections to HS2, Edinburgh is served by a new tram system, and the planned link between the Great Western Mainline and Heathrow will cost an estimated 500 million. 5.3 Analysis of surface access at other UK airports identifies the significant surface access deficit at Bristol Airport. Table 1 below summarises this analysis:

4 Table 1: Surface Access at UK Airports Airport Passengers Rail link / Motorway Dual Bus Public per annum Tram Connectivity Carriageway Connection Transport (to the / Proximity (minimum) Use (%) nearest million) in 2015 Heathrow Gatwick Manchester Stansted Edinburgh Luton Birmingham Glasgow 9 14 Bristol 7 14 Newcastle 5 12 East 5 7 Midlands Liverpool 4 20 London City Future growth forecasts and trends 6.1 Forecasts suggest Bristol Airport will serve more than seven million passengers in 2016, reaching 10 mppa (the limit set under the current planning approval) in the first half of the next decade, generating an estimated 1,000 jobs on site on top of the existing 3,000 people currently employed across 45 different organisations. 6.2 The trend towards consolidation in the regional airport market since the recession has seen Bristol Airport grow its market share across the South West and Wales. As a result, the majority of passengers (55 per cent) now have a journey time of more than 60 minutes to or from Bristol Airport, with 20 per cent travelling for two hours or more. The strong presence of major airline brands at Bristol Airport has also had the effect of extending the traditional catchment area. Inbound traffic has also increased, with the number of overseas visitors using Bristol Airport trebling since An estimated 18 per cent of passengers are resident outside the UK, equating to over one million passengers hailing from a total of 82 different countries, spending an estimated 347m in the local economy. Inbound passengers are less likely to travel to and from the airport by private car, as illustrated by the fact that foreign leisure passengers make up more than a quarter of all public transport use at Bristol Airport. Continued growth in the inbound market will therefore drive an increase in demand for public transport. 6.3 Considering the economic impact of continued growth at Bristol Airport, the Economic Impact of European Airports (InterVistas) research suggests that: a 10 per cent increase in connectivity / seat capacity stimulates GDP per capita by an additional 0.5 per cent. a 10 per cent increase in departing passengers increases local employment in the services sector by 1 per cent.

5 a 10 per cent increase in intercontinental flights induces a 4 per cent increase in the HQs of large firms in the region. 6.4 Construction has started for a 201 room on-site hotel, which is scheduled for completion in This will provide more public transport opportunities for passengers, particularly the 40 per cent of passengers on early morning departures who live over one hour s journey time from Bristol Airport and cannot currently access public transport services at the early start necessary. 6.5 Looking ahead, a new planning permission would be required to enable passenger growth in excess of 10 mppa. Forecasts suggest that demand will continue to grow throughout the plan period to 2036, creating further employment opportunities for the sub-region. To enable growth beyond the approved 10 mppa, improvements to surface access to Bristol Airport will need to be in place. 7.0 Surface access requirements 7.1 Bristol Airport is extremely keen to actively participate in the production of a Joint Transport Plan for the sub-region to As a key transport node, the Airport is a critical part of the sub-region s infrastructure. In addition to being the international gateway to the West of England, the Airport also contributes to key bus services which link the Airport to the city of Bristol. Bristol Airport is also a major employment hub in the sub-region, with approximately 3000 people employed across the site. Its location leads to strong employment connections with South Bristol, largely due to the route of Airport Flyer. There is significant potential to attract a higher proportion of staff from Weston-super-Mare with the introduction of improved public transport links. 7.2 It is becoming increasingly apparent that the existing infrastructure serving the Airport will prove inadequate to enable growth beyond the existing permitted 10mppa. A lack of adequate surface access infrastructure impacts on reliability which is a significant issue for passengers as well as for staff, including pilots and cabin crew where a delay in arrival at the Airport could result in a delayed flight. Therefore, unreliable surface access could threaten our position as a world leading airport for punctuality. To ensure that the Airport can continue to grow and contribute to the economy of the West of England, improvements will be required. Surface access improvements ahead of growth beyond the current planning limitations will deliver time and cost effectiveness for travellers to the Airport as well as providing resilience on strategic routes for other users. 7.3 The highest flows of traffic on the existing A38 occur in the evening peak (4.30pm 6.30pm) travelling southbound out of Bristol. This is representative of high levels of commuting traffic to outlying villages. The peak traffic flows to the Airport occur in the early hours of the morning (4am-6am) prior to the main morning peak (7.30am-9am). The A38 is primarily a single lane carriageway which regularly becomes congested. This impacts on staff and passengers being able to access the Airport by car and also becomes detrimental to journey time reliability for the Airport Flyer bus service. Additional capacity, and in particular an additional lane southbound would deliver much needed resilience and cater for future growth as well as improving links from villages to the south of the airport towards Bristol. It would also provide a much more positive impressions of the region for visitors and inward investors arriving via Bristol Airport.

6 7.4 Bristol Airport has contributed in excess of 4.7m towards the MetroBus schemes in Bristol. Whilst this provides much improved public transport corridors into Bristol city centre, it falls short of the Airport, ending at the junction of South Bristol Link to the A38. It is the final part of the journey between the South Bristol Link and the Airport which should be prioritised for capacity improvement. It is a requirement of the Section 106 Agreement that Bristol Airport should reach a point by 10 mppa where 15 per cent of its visitors travel to the Airport by means of public transport. At 6.76 mppa, nearly 14 per cent of visitors are utilising public transport to access Bristol Airport. Therefore, with further investment, there is a strong case to see public transport use as a proportion of total journeys exceeding 15 per cent. 7.5 In addition to need for general capacity improvements along the A38, there is a valuable opportunity to extend the MetroBus network up to the Airport and beyond providing connections to key North Somerset towns, e.g. Nailsea and/or Weston-super-Mare. As part of the existing Section 106 Agreement, Bristol Airport is committed to the delivery of a Flyer/ Express service to Weston-super-Mare once passenger throughput reaches 8mppa. This service could be further enhanced in combination with local bus services as part of a new MetroBus route. In addition to improving accessibility to the Airport for passengers, it would also be easier for existing and future staff to access the Airport and Bristol from Weston-super- Mare. 7.6 The majority of visitors travelling by private car to the Airport travel south on the M5. Visitors travelling to Bristol Airport from north of Bristol would typically access the Airport via the M5 and are then signposted off the M5 along the A4 Portway and then onto the A38. This route is highly congested and often subject to delays. In general, routes from the M5 to Bristol are highly congested and there is no direct route to the Airport. A traffic incident on one of these routes results in significant delays across the city. An improved connection from the M5 with options including increased capacity along the Portway or alternative routes would address this existing constraint. 7.7 In addition to road connections, Bristol Airport would significantly benefit from a closer rail connection with provision of an associated Park and Ride facility. Alternatively, a designated MetroBus route to the Airport could have the potential to be upgraded to a light rail development in the future. 7.8 To assist with summarising the surface access requirements, Bristol Airport has shortlisted four schemes: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Improved capacity on the A38 An improved connection from the M5 Extension of the MetroBus network to Bristol Airport and onwards to Weston-super-Mare Development of a closer rail connection to Bristol Airport 8.0 Consultation response to questions in the Joint Spatial Plan: Issues and Options Question 1 - Have the most appropriate critical spatial issues been identified in addressing housing and wellbeing; the economy; the environment; and transport?

7 8.1 It is fundamental that joint spatial planning recognises the interlinking roles of housing, the economy, the environment and transport. From the perspective of Bristol Airport, the strength of the economy is directly linked to the success of the transport network. In order to deliver future growth in the sub-region, improvements to existing as well as new transport initiatives are fundamental to secure its success. 8.2 It is welcomed that Economic Growth is acknowledged as a critical issue along with housing, the environment and transport. It is referred to in the consultation document that economic growth will be concentrated in the key employment areas along with new employment areas. It is unclear how Bristol Airport fits in with the existing hierarchy of employment areas. We are a major employment site (currently in the region of 3,000 employees) but have not been consulted on employment projections going forward. As a major contributor to job generation, we would expect to be recognised and consulted as part of this process. 8.3 It is important that the focus is not just on new employment areas but also recognises the role of existing businesses within the West of England. Question 7 - Have we identified the right employment issues? 8.4 Employment issues are identified. However, it was disappointing that the Economic Development Needs Assessment was not available at the start of the public consultation. As a general comment, the role of the economy should be afforded greater weight within the Joint Spatial Plan: Issues and Options document. There is a strong focus on housing delivery and whilst this is recognised as a key issue, economic development should also feed into the location of new development. Question 13 - Which spatial scenario (or mix of scenarios) is likely to best deliver the plan s objectives? 8.5 Bristol Airport does not express a strong preference for a particular spatial scenario. However, the Transport Led scenario seems to offer a common sense approach to future development. In addition to new development, transport links should also be improved to existing developments where there is potential for growth. Question 15 - What transport improvements or measures would be required to support the scenarios? 8.6 In order to deliver resilience and support economic growth in the sub-region, it is crucial that existing strategic routes are examined in terms of their capacity for growth. Transport improvements should not be focussed solely on new development but also cater for changing patterns of travel. Bristol Airport has responded to the concepts and proposed illustrative schemes in Table 1 below. 9.0 Consultation response to the Joint Transport Study: Issues 9.1 This response is based on both the Issues paper and also the supporting evidence in the form of the Key Principles Report. 9.2 When reviewing the current issues, it is welcomed that Bristol Airport is included as a feature of the West of England s transport network. However, there is significant scope to be more ambitious. It would be useful to acknowledge the rate of growth of the Airport in this context. Please refer to section 2.0 above for further information. Bristol Airport agrees with the

8 challenges identified but would like to add the challenge of travel into and out of the subregion as a key factor as opposed to travel just within the West of England. This is a key factor affecting economic growth. 9.3 Having reviewed the objectives in the Issues Paper, another key issue could be Build Resilience into the Transport Network. A lack of resilience is significantly detrimental to the economy. Bristol Airport experiences this when there is congestion on the M5 and this results in congestion on both the A370 and A38. This also applies to the City Centre when there is a problem on one of the main routes through the city. 9.4 In terms of the How can we get there? section, there are 13 concepts identified in this section which are informed by the evidence base in the Key Principles Report. However, one of the concepts identified in the Key Principles Report, Concept 10 International Gateways, has not been carried forward into the main Issues Paper. Clearly, this concept is representative of the issues which Bristol Airport faces and therefore we would request that this is re-established into the main Issues. This concept identifies a potential rail link to the Airport as well as a new MetroBus airport connection and a link road. Bristol Airport would be very supportive of a new rail link and/or extended MetroBus to the Airport. With regards to a new link road, it is unclear in the context of Table A.1. in the Key Principles Report what this would entail. However, the Airport has identified a requirement for improved links to the M5. All of the surface access requirements identified by Bristol Airport are detailed above in paragraphs Referring to the concepts which have been carried through into the Issues Paper, please see Bristol Airport s comments in Table 2 below: Table 2. Bristol Airport comments on the transport concepts identified in the Joint Transport Study: Issues Paper Future Transport Concept 1. Strengthen Enhanced PT Corridor 2. Extended MetroBus Network Illustrative Scheme All Nailsea and Westonsuper-Mare Bristol Airport Comments Bristol Airport supports all improvements to public transport corridors across the WoE area. As referred to in para. 7.5 above, an extension to Nailsea and/or Weston-super- Mare via Bristol Airport would provide greater opportunities for staff recruitment in those areas as well as improving overall public transport usage. 4. MetroWest + + Airport Bristol Airport would support any extension to the MetroWest network which would serve Bristol Airport. This would be more in line with the level of surface access experienced by other UK airports (refer to para above). 7. Pinch points and bottlenecks N/A Bristol Airport would like to see the A38 included (from the new SBL roundabout to the Airport) as an existing pinchpoint, particularly in the PM peak. Please refer to para 7.3 above).

9 8. Strategic Corridor Packages 11. Regional connectivity A38 Improvements to the A38 are sought especially to deliver additional capacity between the Airport and the new SBL roundabout. In addition to general capacity, priority for public transport and active travel would also be supported. Bristol Airport is reliant on good regional connectivity and therefore it is extremely important that Highways England are consulted and involved in potential transport solutions for the area. 9.6 The Key Principles Report illustrates road congestion and resilience challenges through a map at Figure 3-4. Bristol Airport is identified as a congestion hotspot. However, the stretch of the A38 between Bristol Airport and the new SBL roundabout is not identified as either a congestion hotspot or a resilience challenge. Given the existing capacity constraints and future growth requirements, the map should be amended to reflect the lack of resilience along the A On page 13 of the Key Principles Report it states that the additional capacity provided by the SBL will help to accommodate traffic growth on the A38 associated with the expanding Bristol Airport. Bristol Airport will have contributed approximately 3.37 million towards the construction of the South Bristol Link to mitigate for increased traffic as passenger numbers reach 10 million passengers per annum. However, it is clear that commuter traffic is the main generator for the evening peak flows and it is unclear whether the South Bristol Link will help to mitigate this growth Consultation response to the Joint Spatial Plan Green Belt Assessment 10.1 Bristol Airport acknowledges that the purpose of this study was to assess the existing Green Belt in terms of whether it meets the five purposes of the Green Belt as part of the evidence base for the Joint Spatial Strategy. Bristol Airport recognises the important role of the Green Belt in the West of England sub-region The assessment identifies Bristol Airport as Cell no. 62. With regards to meeting the five tests of the Green Belt, the assessment concludes that the Bristol Airport cell only meets two of the purposes of Green Belt, this being safeguarding of the countryside from encroachment and to assist in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. It is recognised that there is an existing Green Belt inset at Bristol Airport which includes the runway and land to its north which includes the terminal buildings and long-stay car parks. Developed land to the south of the Airport which is currently occupied by hangars, associated buildings and surface level car parking falls within the Green Belt. The A38 passes through the western part of the cell. The Assessment identifies that the Green Belt boundary at the Airport is to contain the spread of development around the Airport. However, this does not correspond with existing land uses to the south of the runway which are already developed or have planning permission in place. The purposes of the Green Belt to the south of the runway up to the Airport boundary are not being met and therefore the Green Belt boundary should be amended to reflect the existing planning permission ref. 09/1020/P/OT2. Bristol Airport considers that, through the existing planning permission, exceptional circumstances

10 have been demonstrated, and supported by both North Somerset Council and the Secretary of State, to justify a local amendment to the Green Belt boundary at Bristol Airport. 11. Conclusions 11.1 Bristol Airport welcomes the Issues and Options paper of the Joint Spatial Plan and the Issues paper of the Joint Transport Plan as important steps in taking forward development in the sub-region in a collaborative manner. Joint working is especially important for Bristol Airport given its strong regional influence. The evidence base which supports both of these documents is informative and comprehensive Bristol Airport has taken this opportunity to update the four local authorities on its existing position, anticipated growth and associated challenges. Largely these challenges revolve around surface access resilience and the boundary of the Green Belt inset at the airport. We do feel that there is scope to be more ambitious by bringing surface access to Bristol Airport in line with other comparative UK regional airports Bristol Airport is keen to be involved in the ongoing preparation of the Joint Spatial Plan and Joint Transport Study and considers itself a key stakeholder as both an employment hub and as a major contributor to the regional economy.