Coventry Airport Expansion

Coventry Airport is operated by West Midlands International Airport Ltd (WMIAL) which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Howard Holdings plc. The local planning authority for Coventry Airport is Warwick District Council (WDC). The freehold of Coventry Airport is owned by Coventry City Council (CCC).

Since March 2004, ThomsonFly has operated scheduled passenger flights from Coventry Airport. WDC began enforcement action because it considered that the terminal built for passenger flights was unauthorised development. WMIAL appealed against enforcement. Following a Public Inquiry in 2005, the Government decided that the terminal was unlawful but it granted planning permission retrospectively. Planning conditions and obligations became effective with this approval.

WMIAL also applied for planning permission for a larger passenger terminal to handle, it says, 2 million passengers a year. WDC rejected WMIAL’s first application on the grounds of highway issues, noise, air quality, ecology and visual/landscape. WDC failed to determine WMIAL’s second planning application, for a much larger passenger terminal but supposedly still for 2 million passengers.

Once again WMIAL appealed; a public inquiry was heard from January to July 2006.

In June 2007, the Government announced its decision on this appeal: it rejected the appeal and refused planning permission. The major reasons for refusal were:

• Sustainability. The proposal did not represent a sustainable form of development because of its duplication of services at nearby Birmingham Airport, poor public transport accessibility and pollution. A key factor was that obligations were already in place through the planning approval for the existing terminal and the extra obligations proposed for a larger terminal were deemed insufficient to offset the damage caused.
• Noise impact on local residents would cause significant loss of amenity.
• Conflict with the development plan.
• Doubt whether the proposal would be best use of airport infrastructure as required by Government policy.
  

WMIAL has challenged the Government’s decision and this should be heard in the High Court in 2008.

Details and copies of the key documents can be found on the Warwick District Council web site,Click Here.

Documents submitted by WMIAL also indicate their wish to expand business aviation and night-time freight operations. Such forms of expansion might not require planning permission providing they comply with planning obligations.

Stretton on Dunsmore Parish Council has submitted documents opposed to the expansion at Coventry Airport. If you wish to see these documents, Click Here to send email to the coordination group.