New local Newspaper from the Star/Courier
Sept 19, 2008 14:50:42 GMT 1
Post by flyingtrack on Sept 19, 2008 14:50:42 GMT 1
Ist edition of the combined Star and Courier local rags produced this article this week:
Objectors
People living near Farnborough Airport are not willing to have their quality of life blighted by an airport used solely by millionaire executives and celebrities, a leading campaigner has warned.
While Farnborough owes much to its connection with aviation history, people are not happy to see a significant expansion in the number if flights hosted there.
Geoff Marks, chairman of the 400- member Farnborough Aerodrome Residents’ Association, representing the interests of people living near the airport, said it was not fair for people living under the flight path to suffer more noise, pollution and the increased risk of a plane crash.
“There are benefits to growing the airport, maybe greater nationally than locally,” he said. “But we have to recognise that there are considerable dis-benefits to the local community around the airport, a degradation of their amenity and an impact on property values.
“Just because people living nearby are only individuals does not mean that their concerns should be ignored. I don’t believe that those concerns have yet been adequately recognised by TAG or by the local planning authority”
The retired aviation engineer said while it was important for the economy and Farnborough’s heritage for aviation to continue on the site, unimpeded growth could have a devastating impact on people living in the area.
“Unlike other communities near major airports, this community gets no direct benefits from being close to an airport, because they don’t fly from here,” Mr Marks said.
“If you get some benefits, you are more likely to accept the loss in value to your property If you get none, it is unreasonable.”
Mr Marks said that while there were only 400 active members of FARA, his organisation would act to represent the interests of everyone living around the airport.
‘It does not just affect Farnborough,” he said. “It is a wide area. There are people in Churt who have contacted me to express their concerns and supporting the work we do.
“Anywhere within a ten-mile radius is going to be affected, including people in Bisley, Mytchett, Church Crookham and Fleet.”
Mr Marks’ work with FARA has led him to an involvement with the Aviation Environment Federation, a pressure group arguing for a sustainable and environmentally-sound expansion of airports.
He has become a leading adviser to the group on the government’s policy on public safety zones, the areas that are most likely to suffer the consequences of a crash.
Unlike other busy commercial airports, Farnborough Airport’s crash zones cover heavily built-up areas, particularly at the north-eastern end, where the PSZ extends over houses in Farnborough Park and buildings at Farnborough College of Technology’s 9,500-student Boundary Road campus.
Mr Marks said he feels he has come a long way since commercial operations first began at Farnborough.
“Eight years ago I was regarded as someone who tied my-self to trees because I didn’t like airfields,” he said.
“I think that view has changed now. I am trying to understand their position, and I hope they will understand mine, and I hope we can meet somewhere in the middle.”
He is full of praise for TAG’S new chief executive, Brandon O’Reilly, but points out that it is Mr O’Reilly’s job to make the most cash possible for the airport’s owners.
“The new team at TAG are highly professional. But I have to bear in mind that the chief executive’s job is to grow his business as much as possible.
“It is not his job to strike a balance between airport growth and the needs of the community — that is the role of the planning authority Rushmoor Borough Council squarely and clearly.”
Owners
The owners of Farnborough Airport are weeks away from announcing their plans for the future expansion of flights.
TAG Aviation, the company that owns and operates the airport for private business jets, plans to put its airport ‘master plan’ forward for public consultation in the coming weeks.
The plan includes information from this summer’s recent public consultation exercise, carried out and paid for by TAG, in an effort to test the temperature of public opinion about a possible increase of flights to and from the airport
A spokesman for TAG said that while a date had not yet been set for the report’s release, discussions were taking place last week about its contents and when it would be made public.
The airport master plan is expected to include its operator’s predictions about the future growth of flights at Farnborough. The documents will inform central government about the potential for aviation growth across the UK.
However, with the current level of flying at Farnborough already pushing its limit set by planners, the strategy is likely to include a proposal for a new planning application to raise the number of allowed take-offs and landings.
Figures released in the earlier consultation document suggest that TAG will seek to raise the limit from the current 28,000 movements a year to around 50,000.
The company says that any such increase would not lead to, a significant impact on noise or air pollution or cause an unacceptably high risk of a plane crash into existing buildings. Without an expansion, there would be a significant detrimental impact on the UK economy, as other airports struggle to cope with increasing demand while Farnborough Airport remains under-used, TAG has claimed.
The local economy would, also suffer, TAG has said, and has forecast that 2,840 jobs are dependant on the success of the airport The, company already employs more than 100 people directly.
The company is also keen to make best use of its multi-million pound investment in the infrastructure of the airport. Since 2003, the company has spent around
£ 100m on a resurfaced runway and runway lights, a new award-winning terminal building, control tower and offices and a giant ‘wave-shaped’ triple hangar A £40m hotel, built by TAG, opened beside the airfield in July, and planners approved the construction of another aircraft hangar earlier this year. Brandon O’Reilly, chief executive of TAG Farnborough Airport, said in a statement that the company was keen to hear the views of people who will be affected by the airport’s future growth. Mr O’Reilly, who took up his post in January 2007 in the midst of a public inquiry into the expansion of the airport’s activities at weekends, is a big-bitter in the world of aviation.
Before coming to Farnborough he was managing director of operations for US operator United Airlines in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America. He has also worked with British Airways and American Airlines.
The preliminary consultation is important as it seeks to engage local people on the future of the airport,” Mr O’Reilly said. “We will listen to what local people ha say and these views will be consider we develop our plans for the future.”
He emphasized the importance the government placed on making use of existing airport capacity to meet the gray demand for aviation.
“Government policy requires airport make the best possible use of their infrastructure,” he said. “Farnborough Airport has substantially under-utilized infrastructure and is therefore well placed to meet this objective.
“I am committed to responsible development that secures our role in the I and regional economies and protects in and around Farnborough. The airport offers an important competitive advantage for the UK economy. It is well placed to meet the growing demands of business aviation in the UK.”
Objectors
People living near Farnborough Airport are not willing to have their quality of life blighted by an airport used solely by millionaire executives and celebrities, a leading campaigner has warned.
While Farnborough owes much to its connection with aviation history, people are not happy to see a significant expansion in the number if flights hosted there.
Geoff Marks, chairman of the 400- member Farnborough Aerodrome Residents’ Association, representing the interests of people living near the airport, said it was not fair for people living under the flight path to suffer more noise, pollution and the increased risk of a plane crash.
“There are benefits to growing the airport, maybe greater nationally than locally,” he said. “But we have to recognise that there are considerable dis-benefits to the local community around the airport, a degradation of their amenity and an impact on property values.
“Just because people living nearby are only individuals does not mean that their concerns should be ignored. I don’t believe that those concerns have yet been adequately recognised by TAG or by the local planning authority”
The retired aviation engineer said while it was important for the economy and Farnborough’s heritage for aviation to continue on the site, unimpeded growth could have a devastating impact on people living in the area.
“Unlike other communities near major airports, this community gets no direct benefits from being close to an airport, because they don’t fly from here,” Mr Marks said.
“If you get some benefits, you are more likely to accept the loss in value to your property If you get none, it is unreasonable.”
Mr Marks said that while there were only 400 active members of FARA, his organisation would act to represent the interests of everyone living around the airport.
‘It does not just affect Farnborough,” he said. “It is a wide area. There are people in Churt who have contacted me to express their concerns and supporting the work we do.
“Anywhere within a ten-mile radius is going to be affected, including people in Bisley, Mytchett, Church Crookham and Fleet.”
Mr Marks’ work with FARA has led him to an involvement with the Aviation Environment Federation, a pressure group arguing for a sustainable and environmentally-sound expansion of airports.
He has become a leading adviser to the group on the government’s policy on public safety zones, the areas that are most likely to suffer the consequences of a crash.
Unlike other busy commercial airports, Farnborough Airport’s crash zones cover heavily built-up areas, particularly at the north-eastern end, where the PSZ extends over houses in Farnborough Park and buildings at Farnborough College of Technology’s 9,500-student Boundary Road campus.
Mr Marks said he feels he has come a long way since commercial operations first began at Farnborough.
“Eight years ago I was regarded as someone who tied my-self to trees because I didn’t like airfields,” he said.
“I think that view has changed now. I am trying to understand their position, and I hope they will understand mine, and I hope we can meet somewhere in the middle.”
He is full of praise for TAG’S new chief executive, Brandon O’Reilly, but points out that it is Mr O’Reilly’s job to make the most cash possible for the airport’s owners.
“The new team at TAG are highly professional. But I have to bear in mind that the chief executive’s job is to grow his business as much as possible.
“It is not his job to strike a balance between airport growth and the needs of the community — that is the role of the planning authority Rushmoor Borough Council squarely and clearly.”
Owners
The owners of Farnborough Airport are weeks away from announcing their plans for the future expansion of flights.
TAG Aviation, the company that owns and operates the airport for private business jets, plans to put its airport ‘master plan’ forward for public consultation in the coming weeks.
The plan includes information from this summer’s recent public consultation exercise, carried out and paid for by TAG, in an effort to test the temperature of public opinion about a possible increase of flights to and from the airport
A spokesman for TAG said that while a date had not yet been set for the report’s release, discussions were taking place last week about its contents and when it would be made public.
The airport master plan is expected to include its operator’s predictions about the future growth of flights at Farnborough. The documents will inform central government about the potential for aviation growth across the UK.
However, with the current level of flying at Farnborough already pushing its limit set by planners, the strategy is likely to include a proposal for a new planning application to raise the number of allowed take-offs and landings.
Figures released in the earlier consultation document suggest that TAG will seek to raise the limit from the current 28,000 movements a year to around 50,000.
The company says that any such increase would not lead to, a significant impact on noise or air pollution or cause an unacceptably high risk of a plane crash into existing buildings. Without an expansion, there would be a significant detrimental impact on the UK economy, as other airports struggle to cope with increasing demand while Farnborough Airport remains under-used, TAG has claimed.
The local economy would, also suffer, TAG has said, and has forecast that 2,840 jobs are dependant on the success of the airport The, company already employs more than 100 people directly.
The company is also keen to make best use of its multi-million pound investment in the infrastructure of the airport. Since 2003, the company has spent around
£ 100m on a resurfaced runway and runway lights, a new award-winning terminal building, control tower and offices and a giant ‘wave-shaped’ triple hangar A £40m hotel, built by TAG, opened beside the airfield in July, and planners approved the construction of another aircraft hangar earlier this year. Brandon O’Reilly, chief executive of TAG Farnborough Airport, said in a statement that the company was keen to hear the views of people who will be affected by the airport’s future growth. Mr O’Reilly, who took up his post in January 2007 in the midst of a public inquiry into the expansion of the airport’s activities at weekends, is a big-bitter in the world of aviation.
Before coming to Farnborough he was managing director of operations for US operator United Airlines in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America. He has also worked with British Airways and American Airlines.
The preliminary consultation is important as it seeks to engage local people on the future of the airport,” Mr O’Reilly said. “We will listen to what local people ha say and these views will be consider we develop our plans for the future.”
He emphasized the importance the government placed on making use of existing airport capacity to meet the gray demand for aviation.
“Government policy requires airport make the best possible use of their infrastructure,” he said. “Farnborough Airport has substantially under-utilized infrastructure and is therefore well placed to meet this objective.
“I am committed to responsible development that secures our role in the I and regional economies and protects in and around Farnborough. The airport offers an important competitive advantage for the UK economy. It is well placed to meet the growing demands of business aviation in the UK.”
