Flights may be grounded at present because of volcanic ash from Iceland, but this didn't stop a new 'airport development' appearing along the M5 near Bristol this morning.
The giant 70 metre-long mural in a field next to the motorway between junctions 14 and 15 with PLANNING APPROVED stamped across it is the latest stunt to raise awareness for the need for greater local consultation in the planning process.
It's the idea of Beautiful Britain magazine which is concerned that the wishes of local communities are being ignored by central government in an attempt to meet national infrastructure targets. Last month the magazine surveyed over 5,000 British people, revealing that eight out of ten feel that not enough is being done to protect the places that they love.
Says Rob Yarham, Editor of Beautiful Britain magazine which commissioned the mural: "With this mural, we want to highlight the threat to those environments posed by ill-considered and rushed planning decisions. We chose a runway because many of these involve transport infrastructure but there are other types of project putting our landscape at risk, including energy and housing developments.
"We want planning policy to be at the heart of election debates. Were concerned that the Infrastructure Planning Commission may fast-track large developments without giving local people enough input into projects that will affect them for years to come."
As part of its campaign, Beautiful Britain has created an e-petition to ask the government to enhance local democracy in the planning process, along with a simple guide about what to do if anyone is concerned about a particular development.
More information about the e-petition can be found at www.beautifulbritain.net
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