Manchester Airport unveils plans to concrete former greenbelt land with 'World Logistics Hub'

Manchester Airport has announced plans to concrete over former greenbelt land around Sunbank Lane to make way for a 'World Logistics Hub'.  The area is currently home to residential houses and greenfields and also borders onto Cotterill Clough - a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Proposals to build on former greenbelt land

The plans involve the construction of around 43 warehouses and office units of various sizes on land adjacent to the A538, as well as 1,473 carparking spaces, 134 bike parking spaces and a re-landscaped green zone.   The plans form part of the wider Airport City Enterprise Zone.  More details can be found here: http://www.airportcity.co.uk/master-plan/world-logistics-hub/#

The Airport 'anticipate' that 1800 jobs will be created over a 15 year period.  However, a report on the wider Airport City proposals in Autumn 2011 by the Campaign to Protect Rural England found that many of these job creation projections actually involved displacing pre-existing jobs from elsewhere in Manchester, as firms relocate to take advantage of the cheap business rates on offer.

The land around Sunbank Lane was recently taken out of the Greenbelt in Manchester City Council's 'Core Strategy' which was approved in July 2012.  Many residents say they were not informed or consulted of these plans.  Audrey O'Donovan said,  "As a resident and chairman of Ringway Parish Council I am appalled at the lack of consultation by Manchester Airport when removing Oak Farm and surrounding area out of the green belt and changing the planning status enabling them to once again encroach on our countryside. All in the name of so called progress. What concerns me is the World Logistics Hub as they have called this latest expansion will expand to the other side of the A538 spreading their operations still further into our very small Parish of Ringway."

Plans for a World Logistics Hub to the south west of Manchester Airport

The Airport have published an 'informal' consultation document with images of the plans.   They say they intend to submit a formal planning application to Manchester City Council at some point in August 2012.  Objectors will have 21 days of formal consultation period to submit their views upon registration of the application.

A view of the area as it is now

Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport organised a 'Biodiversity Walk' around the affected site in May 2010.  Shortly after local activists blockaded the current World Freight Centre and staged an airside protest around the wheel of Monarch Airline jet against plans to expand the airport and demolish local homes. 

SEMA submission to planning framework consultation

SEMA made an official submission to the "Core Strategy Pre-Publication Partial Consultation". This is part of forming the Local Development Framework for the Greater Manchester region. This is the framework against which future planning decisions will be made, including airport expansion plans.
 
You can see the documents that are being consulted on here:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/3983/core_strategy_pre-publication_partial_consultation

The 'Need for Land' documents exactly details exactly how Manchester Airport is proposing to expand. It's a long read but how individual projects such as expanding the Freight Centre over Hasty Lane are part of a much larger, long-term plan to increase capacity and flight numbers. More flights, more noise, more emissions.

SEMA's submission argues that since the future of national aviation policy is unclear, including the High Court ruling that the 2003 Air Transport White Paper is not compatible with the 2008 Climate Act, it would be unwise for the Council to support expansion plans at this time. It also details arguments about the effects of the airport on jobs and the economy in the North West region.

Mancester Council - We must grow the Airport to cut emissions

In responding to Friends of the Earth's submission to the Local Development Framework consultation, >Manchester City Council argue that it must grow the Airport in order fund a reduction in CO2 emissions.

"The Friends of the Earth (FOE) alternative option is a low growth scenario but with particular emphasis on restricting growth at the Airport. When considering options for the Core Strategy the validity of a low growth scenario was considered but discounted for the following reasons:-

• Without economic growth the target to reduce CO2 emissions could not be reached. Growth is essential to fund critical infrastructure e.g. renewable energy networks and to ensure innovation and progress in technology together with retrofitting to achieve carbon reduction in existing development."

We at SEMA have been left scratching our heads at this seemingly bizarre conundrum. An expanding airport will mean even more emissions to cut. Surely we can't grow our way out of the problem of climate change? In any case, >the economic growth argument is routinely overstated by the industry. We look forward to more capers of logic from the Council soon.