Sheffield is the forth largest city in the UK and has a population greater than the nation of Iceland (who have at least nine airports - there may be more but I have not been to them all).
In 2004 the City Council noted that :-
given Sheffield is the fourth largest City in England and has high economic regeneration aspirations, the option of having a city airport for Sheffield should be kept open and any move to close the Airport would be a major economic step backwards
How many cities in the UK have opened and then closed an airport??
How many cities in the UK have such bad rail and road links with the rest of the country? (Esp rail).
Check out this quotation from the Council Website, May 2004:-
3.3 As freeholder, the City Council has in place a restricted clause within the lease that requires the Airport to be kept at a fully operational status for ten years after the date of its opening. This period will expire in 2007, at which point the granting of the freehold to the Airport operators cannot be reasonably withheld.
So it is not a question of granting access to 2007. There is no choice.
Check this quotation as well:-
4.3 In so doing, the Council would be agreeing to release its land interest in the Airport site covering both the runway and the terminal buildings and apron. However, Members should note that SCAL have proposed a development of a heliport within the hub of the business park, and as part of the Memorandum of Understanding they are prepared to commit to maintain the heliport as available for operations for a period of ten years from the date of signing of the Understanding. This would in effect therefore convert the current period of protection that expires in 2007 for the full Airport into a period of protection extending to 2014 at the earliest for retaining significant helicopter and fixed wing capacity. Specifically, SCAL will be asked to use all reasonable endeavours to secure scheduled helicopter services. This opportunity will be made available for the full ten year period as referred to earlier
2014. '... significant fixed wing and helicopter services'.
Here is the link:
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=26549
And finally Ester, from my Prune PMs of 17 November 2004, from another PPruner:-
I sent an e-mail to my M.P., Richard Caborn expressing my concerns about the situation, saying amongst other things that yet again, Sheffield is becoming a laughing-stock. We will soon be the only city in Europe to have opened itself a new airport, had revenue earning flights from it, lost them, closed down and sold off the site within ten years.
As it happens, I received a letter from Caborn this morning. Bearing in mind that in the e-mail I sent, I had not mentioned Finningley at all, this is all that is in the reply.
"Thank you for your e-mail of 9 November about Sheffield City Airport. I appreciate what you say, but a decision has now been taken to develop the airport at Finningley."
A full 6 months before the 'independent study' by 'consultants' (who have worked extensively for Peel Airports (see York Aviation Consultants website for details) and advised on the setting up of EGSY (oops, did well there then..).
Like, but unlike, certain car manufacturers, let someone else have a go if they can't run it as a business that listens to their customers. £1 a fair price for the risk involved ...