THOUSANDS of jobs could be created locally following Halton Council's decision to back expansion plans for Liverpool Airport.

Councillors lent their support to the scheme to build a new passenger terminal and car park at Speke at a planning meeting on Monday night, saying the environmental effects on Halton would be minimal.

The new terminal, being built at a cost of £30 million, will replace the existing one, which will be converted to office facilities and other uses.

Robin Tudor, airport commercial manager, believes thousands of jobs could result.

"The rule of thumb for an airport is that for every one million passengers, it creates about one thousand jobs," said Mr Tudor, who envisages upwards of two million passengers coming through Liverpool once the development is complete.

He added that the construction phase would also provide employment.

The revised plans are a smaller-scale version of the expansion bid thrown out by the Government on planning grounds in 1997 following a public inquiry.

The new scheme was referred to Halton Council by its sister authority in Liverpool because of potential effects on this area.

Building is to begin by next summer, if Liverpool City Council gives the green light at a planning meeting tonight (Wednesday).

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