then surley these people will only have to travel further to fly to their chosen destination
I have used LBA quite a few times, I live equidistant from LBA, MAN & LPL so I am in your catchment area. I find it an absolute pain in the bum to get to LBA so the flights have to be ULTRA cheap to attract me as LPL is a doddle to get to, car parking cheaper and a better experience. I can do MAN by (cheap) train. Soa part of your argument falls down, not all of it.
To develop LBA to be far more user friendly and make it a major player would take way more than either the owning company, local council or Regional DA could throw at it. Previous posters have pointed out the difficulties but if you want to keep your head in the sand, OK.
Just be satisfied you have a regional airport on your doorstep.