Here’s an update of what’s happening with the airport :
1) New Restrictions (but the council doesn’t want comments on this)
The district council website reports that the following new restrictions have been agreed for Southend Airport
Particular issues raised by residents included noise and flight direction, so a Noise Preferential Route policy will be introduced to minimise any nuisance to densely populated areas during night hours.
A new daytime runway policy will also be introduced to minimise the impact, in built up areas, of the direction in which aircraft take-off and land.
The impact of aircraft movements directly over Leigh-on-Sea and Eastwood during the day time (0630-2300hrs) will be reduced through the operation of a runway preference arrangement, where aircraft will land from the North East and take off to the North East whenever movement volumes allow. In any event no more than 50% of day time landings will be from the South West and less than 50% of all aircraft movements will be over the South West.
The new control measures require the airport operator to take action on:
Night time aircraft movements – The number of possible night movements will be reduced by 87% from 900 per month to 120. The definition of ?nighttime? will be extended by 1 ? hours and will now be from 2300 to 0630 hours (previously midnight to 0600).
Aircraft Passenger & Cargo levels – There will be an annual cap on total aircraft movements at 53,300, although no cap on passenger numbers, as the impact of passenger growth will be tackled through the Surface Transport & Parking provisions. The total number of dedicated cargo aircraft movements to be limited to 5,330 per annum or 10% of the total number of aircraft movements, whichever is the lesser.
Surface Transport & Parking ? The airport operator will be required to bring in more surface transport and parking improvements (including green travel solutions) as the airport grows. This is in addition to the new railway station funded by LSA.
Engine Testing ? The current operation allows testing up to 2200 hours. This will be restricted to 0800-2000hrs, Monday to Saturday and 0900-1800hrs on Sundays.
Noise Limits & Routes to and from the airport to minimise noise impact & aircraft height ? A Noise Preferential Route (NPR) policy will be adopted to minimise any nuisance to densely populated areas during night hours. A new daytime runway policy will also be introduced to minimise the impact, in built up areas, of the direction in which aircraft take-off and land.
Noise compensation & purchase schemes – Within one year of an extended runway coming into use, the airport operator will introduce property purchase and noise insulation grant schemes for qualifying properties.
Air Quality ? The airport operator will be required to introduce an air quality monitoring system and an air quality management plan. LSA will also be required to regularly publish air quality data.
Instrument Landing System ? The airport lease will specify the provision of a second instrument landing system in tandem with the operation of any runway extension, which will cater for approaches from the south west and will greatly improve safety.
We note that the Council website is NOT allowing comments on this!
2) New Planning Application
The Echo has reported that Stobart Air have submitted a planning application to Southend Borough Council :
Stobart Air submit a planning application today which could see the extension of the runway and other changes put in place by May 2011.
The move follows negotiations with Southend and Rochford councils over night flights and noise controls, if the expansion gets the go-ahead.
The controversial plan would involve the demolition of six houses and closing Eastwoodbury Lane to traffic.
Work is already under way on a new railway station on the Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria line, and a new control tower is planned for the near future. More than 6,500 jobs could be created as part of the development.
As councillors we’ve today received a brochure on this from the airport.
3) New airport website.
The airport have launched a new website at http://www.flysouthend2012.com/ dealing with their proposals . It says:
Welcome to the flysouthend2012.com website. This site aims to update you on the progress of proposals for development at the airport.
These proposals aim to deliver the significant improvements required to create a fully functional regional airport by 2012, providing the opportunity for local people to fly to a range of holiday and business destinations across Europe.A planning application for these key improvements has now been submitted to Southend Borough Council and a decision is expected early 2010. The improvements will deliver:
* An airport which caters for local demand, reducing the need to travel to the major London airports
* An extension to the existing runway allowing newer, more modern and quieter aircraft to use the airport
* Tighter restrictions on night noise, cargo volumes, night flights and the introduction of a cap on the total number of flights allowed
* The creation of many thousands of additional jobs both at the airport and in new business attracted to the area by the presence of the airport, the international connectivity it will bring and by the opportunity to do business with airport related enterprises
* A massive boost in new investment in the infrastructure of the airport
* Diversion (not closure) of Eastwoodbury Lane, coupled with improvements to St Laurence Park
This proposal is not just about the convenience of a local airport serving popular destinations, it is about the catalytic impact the development will have for the wider Southend on sea area, including over many thousands of additional jobs the airport will enable over the next ten years.Please take the time to find out more about what it could deliver for Southend, alongside how the proposals plan to safeguard the quality of life for existing residents.
4) Other website stuff :
Councilbust – a Southend website – reports that a poll of 100 readers came out overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed develoments.
There’s a new website set up by supporters of the airport at http://planes2009.ning.com/
Meanwhile the SAEN website – against the new runway – hasn’t been updated for a while…..
Perhaps someone could check my maths, but doesn’t this cap equate to a worst case of one flight every 7 minutes?
Yes, if you deduct the night hours, and the max night flights, then you get a figure of one daytime movement every 6.8 minutes. Though as cargo flights are limited to 10 percent of the total, that’s once cargo flight every 69 minutes on average.
I think that cap of 53,000 also includes the small airdraft already using the airport but maybe someone could confirm?
I am simply appalled. No airport expansion, here or anywhere else. Is no one paying attention to the inconvenient truths of either climate change or Peak Oil?!? This is living in self-serving, short-sighted fantasy-land. Stupid, just plane stupid!