The Save Filton Airfield group and the Unite union are holding a march in protest at South Gloucestershire Council’s decision in their Core Strategy plan to allow the redevelopment of Filton Airfield.
The group believes that the inclusion of this development is deeply flawed as it not only jeopardises the future potential for aerospace and aviation in the North Fringe, it also involves the building of an additional 3,950 new homes without addressing the congestion and infrastructure problems that already plague the Filton/Stokes area.
The extra housing is on top of already agreed plans to build 2,200 homes at Charlton Hayes in Patchway and a further 1,750 at Cribbs Causeway and land south of the airfield.
Supporters are invited to gather on foot by the entrance to Airbus on Golf Course Lane (off Southmead Road) [map] at 12pm on Saturday (18th February), from where they will march down Filton hill (A38) to the Rodney Gate, where union leaders and campaign members will make an address.
People are advised to park on the opposite side of Southmead Road to avoid congestion on Golf Course Lane.
For further details [PDF], click on the poster thumbnail image.
Mark Thomas of Unite told The Journal:
“I believe that the airfield at Filton is a vital facility that supplies a necessary service for not only the retention but more importantly the future attraction of highly skilled jobs within the region that will undoubtedly have a positive affect on the supply chain nationwide, this can only be maintained if Filton Airfield remains open.”
“Surely we are all aware that the growth of our economy is paramount. Aerospace has long been and is set to continue to be a ‘cash cow’ industry for the UK that is recgonised as being the ‘crown jewels’ of manufacturing worldwide.”
“Filton has a proud heritage and reputation as being a centre of excellence for aircraft manufacture. The potential closure of the Airfield, in my opinion, will not only be difficult and sad to stomach in the short term but will have a catastrophic effect on our ability to compete on a level playing field in the future.”
“We need to speculate to accumulate. The closure of the airfield will create short term gain for property developers, the continuation of the airfield will achieve long term gain for all.”
