Southampton Airport's runway extension debate resumes

The debate on plans to lengthen Southampton Airport's runway is continuing into a second day after 14 hours of deliberations.

Eastleigh councillors adjourned their meeting on whether to approve an extension of 164m (538ft) at midnight on Thursday.

Airport bosses said it was "vital" for the site's future but campaigners and some local authorities have raised major objections.

The meeting resumed at 18:00 GMT.

Dozens of people including residents, councillors, businesses and representative of Southampton Airport aired their views on the scheme during the virtual meeting of the Eastleigh Local Area Committee, which started at 10:00 on Thursday and finished at midnight.

The airport insists its survival depends on being allowed to extend the runway to accommodate planes such as the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737.

The plans - which council planning officers have recommended for approval - include 600 extra parking spaces in the long-stay car park and a blast screen built to the north of the proposed runway extension.

The airport maintains the expansion would result in £15m worth of investment and more than 1,000 jobs.

The meeting heard the number of people affected by airport noise would go up from 11,450 in 2020 to 46,050 in 2033, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Local authorities, including Southampton and Winchester city councils, Test Valley Borough Council, four parish councils, as well as Bournemouth Airport, Southern Gas Networks and Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership, all objected to the plans on the grounds of noise and climate change.

When the meeting was adjourned, three councillors of the eight on the committee had given their views, with two opposing and one in favour of the plans.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].