Bristol Airport鈥檚 expansion plans have been allowed on appeal in a decision branded 鈥渄evastating鈥 by opponents.
The airport, however, said it was "excellent news" for the region's economy.
The expansion allows the airport to increase its current capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers a year, while adding thousands more parking spaces. It is yet to hit the current cap and before the pandemic fewer than nine million passengers used the airport.
Dave Lees, the airport's chief executive, welcomed the decision by the Planning Inspectorate.
He said: "The decision is excellent news for our region鈥檚 economy, allowing us to create thousands of new jobs in the years ahead and provide more choice for our customers, supporting inbound tourism, and reducing the millions of road journeys made to London airports each year.
"We will now push ahead with our multi-million-pound plans for net zero operations by 2030 and look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver sustainable growth.鈥
North Somerset Council leader Don Davies expressed his 鈥渆xtreme disappointment鈥 and said the decision after a 36-day inquiry 鈥渇lies in the face of local democracy鈥.
He said the authority gave sound grounds for refusing permission in February 2020 and it is seeing if there are any grounds for challenging the Planning Inspectorate ruling.
Reacting to the news following an adjournment in the council鈥檚 executive meeting, Councillor Davies said: 鈥淭he refusal was based on firm planning grounds and the belief the detrimental effect of the expansion of the airport on this area and the wider impact on the impacts on the environment outweighed the narrower benefits of airport expansion, which sit almost entirely in the commercial interests of the owners, a foreign pension fund.鈥
The airport is owned by the Ontario Teachers鈥 Pension Plan.
Councillor Davies said the council had mounted a "robust defence" of the council鈥檚 position and it was 鈥渆xtremely disappointing鈥 the inspectors had overturned its decision.
The expansion was also opposed by Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council, and the West of England Combined Authority.
鈥淭his simply flies in the face of local democracy and disregards the views of the local communities who fought equally hard to resist the expansion,鈥 he said.
鈥淚t completely undermines our vision for a green North Somerset, our determination to tackle the climate emergency and the target we鈥檝e set for the area to be carbon neutral by 2030.
鈥淲e face a climate emergency and to countenance yet more leisure flights that predominate from this airport is completely unacceptable from one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
鈥淭he airport鈥檚 important role in the region鈥檚 economy would have continued without expanding beyond its currently 10 million passengers a year limit."
Meanwhile, the CBI, one of the 海角视频's biggest business organisations, welcomed the news. Last year, the membership body, said it supported Bristol Airport's decision to expand.
Ben Rhodes, CBI South West Director, said: 鈥淏ristol Airport鈥檚 expanded capacity will create opportunities for the South West鈥檚 world-class businesses, with the potential for new routes giving our region more direct connections and opening up new markets.
鈥淲e hope to see Bristol Airport generating thousands of new jobs in the coming years, helping to level-up the South West and drive forward our region鈥檚 economic recovery.鈥
However, the region's metro mayor, Dan Norris, said the "controversial decision" would be overturned by a future government.
The metro mayor blamed "out-of-date government policy" for the Bristol expansion decision, and said there needed to be an 鈥渦rgent national conversation鈥 about airports.
He said: 鈥淚 am dismayed but not at all surprised by this decision. The government is in chaos on 海角视频 airport expansion as on pretty much everything else.
鈥淭he government鈥檚 lack of green policy on 海角视频 airport expansion has resulted in inspectors ignoring the voices of local people, and the resolution of the West of England Combined Authority which I lead."
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