Staverton: counter report published

CASE are local residents concerned about plans to expand Gloucestershire (Staverton) airport. I have been helping them and other groups and individuals a little to produce a counter-report to the one produced by Cheltenham scrutiny committee. The authors of this new report by Neil Marshall and Richard Conibere have done an excellent job...also in this blog other info re the airport's campaign...

Basically as regular blog readers will know the airport business plan proposes that the two owners of the airport, Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City Councils will provide the funding for the £3.4M expansion in the form of a loan. In 2007 the two councils set up a sub-committee, the Joint Airport Scrutiny Working Group (JASWG), to examine the airport's plans.

Cheltenham Borough Council's Economy and Business Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee have since recommended that Gloucestershire Airport's business plans is approved and supported. Although the scrutiny committee voted to support the airport's business plan, they also decided that a 'cap' on the number of flights will be part of the airport's green policy, to be prepared in 'early 2008'.

No one I have spoken to can argue that the JASWG report is balanced, or that it properly evaluates the options open to the Councils.

Anyhow the CASE response to the JASWG report is available at:
http://tinyurl.com/2ythce

The JASWG report itself is available online on the Cheltenham Borough Council website :

* JASWG Report http://tinyurl.com/ywh8ju
* Appendix A http://tinyurl.com/2ewswv
* Appendix B http://tinyurl.com/yqwtjw
* Appendix C http://tinyurl.com/23wh4h
* Appendix D http://tinyurl.com/yo7nkx

CASE, FoE, Green party members and others will be lobbying the Cabinet to explain why they do not think that the Councils should support the Airport business plan. The Scrutiny Committee voting was not unanimous, and some of the members will be preparing their own report that expresses their view that the Cabinet should not support the business plan. Cheltenham Borough Council's final decision about whether to support the Airport's business plan will be made by the Cabinet on 12th Feb 2008 at 4:00pm at the Municipal Offices in Cheltenham. The meeting will be open to members of the public, should you wish to attend.

Also other news on the campaign:

CASE campaigners joined forces with other campaigners from across the South West yesterday to discuss major concerns about airport expansion with the region's MPs at Westminster. The campaigners used the occasion to launch a new umbrella organisation, "AirportWatch South West", which will represent a powerful unified voice to fight issues such as increased noise disturbance for local communities, increased traffic congestion, and huge rises in climate changing emissions from aircraft, balanced against unproven economic benefits from regional airport growth. Here's part of the news release...

Airports at Staverton, Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Newquay and Plymouth are all facing plans for major expansion over the next seven to 20 years. MPs, including Martin Horwood (Cheltenham) and Giles Chichester (MEP for the South West of England), plus Steven Race representing Ben Bradshaw, Minister for the South West, heard presentations on issues of climate change, noise, green belt and why the supposed economic benefits claimed as justification for expanding regional airports remain unproven.

AirportWatch SW spokesperson, Susan Pearson said: "We were very encouraged by our reception from MPs who asked thoughtful questions when discussing the issues with us. They stated that they would help us ask questions in the Commons, which could gain us information we might not normally have access to. The MPs were particularly interested in discussing the economic arguments for expanding airports, which are completely unsupported by any rigorous data. At the end of the meeting we made a direct request asking them to push for a review of the 2003 Air Transport White Paper of 2003, on which all UK airport expansion plans are based. It is now five years out of date and failed to take account of tourism deficit, which has grown from zero in 1997 to £18 billion, as more and more money is taken out of the UK than is brought in by overseas visitors. Government data shows a clear link between the rise of cheap flights and this massive tourist deficit, which translates as a loss of many millions to the South West."

Here were some of the quotes sent to press:

Cllr Philip Booth, a Stroud District councillor (Green), who has been campaigning in Gloucestershire against the expansion of Staverton Airport said: "Massive expansion plans for all the airports in the South West mean a severe downturn in quality of life for local communities as noise disturbance and local traffic congestion increase. Aviation is the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions, which cause at least twice the environmental damage than if they were released on the ground.

“The economic and environmental arguments against airport expansions are overwhelming. Why should we exempt aviation from cutting CO2 emissions? It would be unjust and economically absurd to allow aviation to expand and then need to demand even further cuts in emissions from other sectors. But even if we set aside climate change - which we cannot afford to do - it is hard to make a case for aviation in a world where oil is running out, unfair subsidies are rife and these airports lead to so many pounds being spent abroad."

Expansion of airports across the region make no sense at a time when the UK has not yet been able to achieve Government targets for cutting emissions.

Philip Booth added: “The driver for airport growth is the increase in budget flights, yet it is cheap flights that are squeezing tourism in the South West’s, the region’s biggest industry. Only last week, national hotel chain Travelodge gave evidence at the House of Commons showing that unfair tax breaks to short haul airlines ‘are slowly bringing the curtain down on regional tourism,’ losing the UK £19 billion a year.

Nationally, AirportWatch is an umbrella organisation for groups fighting airport expansion all over the UK. It includes Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the National Trust, the Women’s Institute, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, RSPB and the Woodland Trust under its banner.

Latest on Gloucester City and Planning Applications...

Gloucester City Council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee deferred their decision on the airport business plan while they wait for the airport's response to Cheltenham's proposal for a ceiling on the number of flights. Once the scrutiny committee have made a decision their recommendation will be sent to the Cabinet, who will make a final decision for Gloucester.

The planning applications submitted by the airport have still not been considered by the Tewkesbury Borough Council planning committee. The committee will not consider the four planning applications made by the airport until their March meeting at the earliest. Clearly the planners see the expansion as an issue, as they have spent over a year (since Dec 2006) analysing the applications to judge if, and to what extent, there will be 'intensification'.

For details lots of good info go to the CASE website at www.case-online.org.uk