MULTI-MILLION pound schemes to improve access to Leeds Bradford Airport are going out to consultation this month.

The three proposals - costing between £15 million and £75 million - have already run into a storm of criticism from local groups and have been branded "myopic and mediocre" by a transport lobby group.

But Leeds City Council has defended its proposals and is stressing the schemes will not only improve road access to the airport but will also reduce congestion on the A65 and A658 Harrogate road.

A consultation will be launched on Monday, November 23 to allow people to have their say on the three proposals.

The first, costing £75 million, proposes a new road from the A65, running along the eastern edge of the airport before joining the A658 to the north. The second, costing £50 million, sees the new road follow the same initial path from the A65 running between Rawdon and Horsforth but runs to the south west of the airport before joining the A658.

The third option would cost £15 million and would not involve building a new road but upgrading the existing A65 and A658 around Rawdon and Yeadon to the airport.

In a statement announcing the consultation, which runs until January 24, the council said the airport was one of the fastest growing in the UK and contributed more than £100m annually to the local economy.

The council says, it is also examining the possibility of a rail link in the long term in connection with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds Bradford Airport.

Executive member for regeneration, transport and planning Councillor Richard Lewis said: "The response to us releasing the outline details of the three options in September sparked a great deal of debate so now we want as many people as possible to take part in this consultation and tell us what they think.

"Leeds Bradford Airport is a key part of our current and future city and regional economy, so it is essential we make the access to and from it the best we can while also respecting and protecting the needs of the local communities, so the more people who take part in this consultation the more effective we can be terms of making the right decisions."

Details of the three proposed options can be seen at www.leeds.gov.uk/AirportLinkRoad, with a questionnaire available from November 23.

Public drop-in sessions will take place at Leeds Civic Hall, from 3pm to 8pm on Tuesday, November 24; at Horsforth Mechanics Institute, from 1pm to 4.30pm on Wednesday, November 25; at Horsforth St Margaret’s Parish Centre, from 3pm to 8pm on Friday, November 27; at Greenacre Hall, Rawdon, from 12 noon to 3pm on Saturday, November 28.

The public can email AirportLinkRoad@leeds.gov.uk for details of future events.

A stall will be at the airport from November 23 to 29, while leaflets and copies of the questionnaire will also be available at local libraries and the Leeds Development Enquiry Centre in the Leonardo Building on Rossington Street.

It is hoped the chosen scheme will be completed during 2023.

The plans have already been roundly condemned as "myopic and mediocre" by the Campaign for Better Transport, West and North Yorkshire Rail Group.

It said: "The announcement of three options is short-term austerity thinking that belongs in the dustbin."