CHAMBER SAYS NO TO MORE NIGHT FLIGHTS

Chew Valley Chamber of Commerce has joined the chorus of local disapproval at plans to increase the number of night flights into Bristol International Airport.

President Jim King has written to the airport authorities on behalf of the Chamber expressing the objections made by members at last month’s quarterly meeting.

“As business people we are naturally sympathetic to the needs of companies with the ambition and desire to expand their activities. However, any company must take account of its immediate surroundings if its development is to be both successful and sustainable.”

“We are well aware of the impact the growth in the airport over recent years has had on the Chew Valley and we are very anxious that a further increase in air traffic would not only bring an unacceptable level of noise during the night but would also produce an extra strain on our already over burdened roads,” said Mr King.

Some concern was also raised about the subject of roads in Chew Magna and a proposed new parking system, details of which were not available at the time of the meeting, but which members expressed their anxieties.

The meeting also had an opportunity to hear from Philip Milner, the newly appointed Director of Policy and Partnership for the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority, which covers the Chew Valley.

He gave a wide ranging talk about health issues in rural areas including the incidence of cancer, the number of injuries from road accidents and the time it took for ambulances to arrive to deal with non emergency cases.