An investigation has found Leeds Bradford Airport has breached planning rules by flying a staggering 747 banned night-time flights.
Following a complaint made by Airport campaigners, the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) last year, Leeds City Council launched an investigation into "accusations LBA bosses were "ignoring the rules".
Today, the authority has confirmed that during the 2022 summer season, there were 3,667 night-time flights which exceeded the cap imposed by the council by 747 - a massive 25 per cent. It comes after a planning application was made by LBA and - then abandoned in March 2022 - to increase the number of night-time flights, which caused outrage from people living close to the airport.
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Now, LBA has been served a breach of condition notice by the council ordering it to stick to the limits set out in the original 2007 planning consent - or face prosecution in court. A "revised monitoring framework" has also been put in place by the airport, to be reviewed by the council each month, although the exact details of what this means have not been explained by the council as yet.
In order to protect the health of residents living under the LBA flight path, there are strict limits to the number of take-offs and landings between 11pm and 7am. It was found that LBA's quota for the 2022 summer period was 2,920 - GALBA's own monitoring revealed the airport significantly exceeded the night time limit.
Andy Tate, a GALBA member who lives under the flight path in north west Leeds, said at the time: "Night time flying is bad news for anyone living under the flight path. The disturbance from these flights is a major cause of all kinds of serious health issues. That’s why there are rules – to protect the public."
Failure to comply with the breach of condition notice served to LBA following the investigation is a criminal offence that could result in prosecution.
Councillor Helen Hayden, the council’s executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure, said: “Leeds City Council understands the public concerns which have been raised regarding night-time flight movements and have investigated this matter thoroughly, in accordance with our established procedures.
“This has concluded that a breach has occurred, leading to a formal notice being served on Leeds Bradford Airport, which they have accepted. The airport has since put in place measures to prevent future instances, which will be subject to regular monitoring to ensure continued compliance to planning conditions.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and if required the council has many further options it can pursue including, but not limited to, an Enforcement Notice. It is also important to note that a Breach of Condition Notice offers the most expedient response to resolve this issue for the people of Leeds, with no right of appeal from Leeds Bradford Airport.
“If the Breach of Condition Notice is not complied with this can escalate into summary prosecution that can be brought in the Magistrates’ Court for the offence of contravening a breach of condition notice.”
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