Proposed Thames Estuary airport land gets wildlife protection.
The government last week named the wetlands and area of the proposed Thames Estuary Airport as a new wildlife haven,one of a number designated in the UK recently.
Expect it would make it even harder to build this pipe dream project. Think as many have said the feasability study will just lead now to a 3rd runway and 6th terminal at Heathrow. :D Wildlife status for Thames Estuary airport land : Heathrow Airport News Stories Nigel |
At what level of Govt would this decision have been taken ?
Would it have gone to a secretary of state or just a junior Govt minister ? Alternatively would it have been just some civil servants making thd ddcision ? How binding is this designation ? Equivalent of SSSI or just the equivalent of municipal park ? |
Announced and approved by the Environment Secretary, so pretty high up ! :eek:
Nature blow to plans for "Boris Island" - Telegraph Nigel |
Smart move. Can the project now before any more money is wasted on it and the piles of this paper airport get any bigger.
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Today's Telegraph has a leader with a large number of businesses urging a reality check on ruling out LHR expansion. Signed by everyone from microsft in Reading to Joe Bloggs in Hounslow.
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Anyone know when the government "consultation" starts? was supposed to be in March if memory serves.....
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LHR 3rd runway is still politically very risky given the marginals surrounding it. Unlike hs2, building it could actually lose them key seats. I thought the whole (flawed) rationale behind hs2 was that it would "negate" the need for a third runway?
Presumably, as nothing will be ready by mid 2020s, LGW will be on the menu from the outset this time? |
Must admit that Silver Island Site of Special Scientific Interest (SISSSI for short) does have a nice ring to it, as does Silver Island National Park.
Jabird, they lose some marginals they get them back later, it's the nature of marginal constituencies. For every voter upset with aircraft noise there's probably at least 3 who directly or (more likely) indirectly earn a living from the presence and the on-going success of LHR. Imagine the outcry there would be if Silver (and others) got their way and LHR was closed down. It's just possible that we are being softened up for a change of policy on this. On the other hand, don't hold your breath! Forget about a second runway at LGW and HS2 as remedies for LHR's chronic lack of capacity, both are irrelevant. This is a serious problem today, not in the 2020s and will only be solved by an extra runway, or preferably two, at LHR. |
For every voter upset with aircraft noise there's probably at least 3 who directly or (more likely) indirectly earn a living from the presence and the on-going success of LHR. Imagine the outcry there would be if Silver (and others) got their way and LHR was closed down. Naturally, this will be an issue in the mayoral election, is Boris getting sensible? It's just possible that we are being softened up for a change of policy on this. On the other hand, don't hold your breath! Forget about a second runway at LGW and HS2 as remedies for LHR's chronic lack of capacity, both are irrelevant. LGW would be cheaper economically and less risky politically. Environmentally, it also has a much smaller noise footprint. The problem would be in creating the business case and in improving surface access. This is a serious problem today, not in the 2020s and will only be solved by an extra runway, or preferably two, at LHR. |
Jabird, new aircraft are getting increasingly quieter (and cleaner). Take it from one who grew up under the flightpath, even today's are much quieter than the early jets of the 1960s.
By the time new runways are built, noise will be much less of an issue. It will take so long to get a 3rd runway built, we may as well face reality and start planning for a 4th, larger aircraft on the 2 existing runways (they're longer), smaller aircraft on any, two for takeoffs, two for landings, alternating as at present. Not convinced about HS2 loading more pax on LHR. Will a 15 minute time saving between Birmingham and London really alter travel plans when there's still the hassle of travel between London and Heathrow? Then consider the aggravation at the Birmingham end of getting to Curzon Street (not New Street) station! Will Leeds-London be that much quicker the long way round on an HS2 via Birmingham than the existing 2 hour direct journey? And again, there's still the hassle of travel between London and Heathrow. Also don't forget the premium fares for riding the HS2 will deter people, the precendent has already been set with the domestic "javelin" HS1. As for Justine, if she were to make a killing out of the compulsory purchase of her "greenpeace plot" then she could be in big trouble. What may now be regarded as one of the worst examples of "gesture politics" could become a major scandal, and the press would have a field day. The effect on marginal seats would not be as great as you suggest, especially those nearer the airport than Justine's, though agree that she would be vulnerable in Putney, maybe it's a price worth paying? The second runway at LGW is only less politically risky because the local MPs have such large majorities that they could hold on to their seats even with a backlash from voters. It's a possible basis for government policy (?) but resolves nothing. |
I have the solution
Encourage IB, KLM, LH, AF to put A340s, A380s or 747s on all their LHR flights and feed their hubs. LHR gets increased spending in the shops, PAX demand and PAX increases are catered for without extra slots being required. APD is still charged for the entire journey (so Government happy) OK the poor downtrodden southerners might need to change aircraft (bless em) but it saves us having to upset Nimbys and lessor spotted oyster catchers. We have more or less sold everything off to Europeans so why not let them get on with laying more concrete, I think its time for us to swallow our pride. The long running spin that LHR can't provide slots for emerging markets is a smoke screen spun by the pro 3rd runway crowd. If the new routes are potentially so lucrative why hasn't existing carriers diverted their 1/2 empty transatlantic slots over to them ? And if the news is to be believed this week we are seeing signs of a slow down in China. |
Of course none of this is a smoke screen that will allow 'them' to put 2nd runway into stansted.
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I'm no advocate of Boris Island, but when I see
I think its time for us to swallow our pride |
"A sense of fatality should not hinder national ambition - if it does then that shall be our final downfall"
So whose national ambition is it to: Spend xxxBillions on a massive project that will ensure that the UKs transport system becomes even more SEcentric than it already is. Its certainly not mine and I can safely say its probably not the ambition of a huge portion of the UK population. Like it or not we are not a nation on our own, we are part of Europe and the facilities within Europe are for us to use, so why waste money chasing after the glory of who has the most runways and best airport. Laying down even more concrete is not the answer, we have to make the most of what we already have and if that means using the other hubs then so be it. The UK is not the centre of the universe. |
I keep trying to figure the economic benefit in having passengers fly from other overseas airports to connect in the UK to elsewhere where they don't spend any money or pay any taxes.
Smart move on the designation front as just adds even more obstacles to Boris Airport. |
MAN777,
Like it or not we are not a nation on our own, we are part of Europe and the facilities within Europe are for us to use, so why waste money chasing after the glory of who has the most runways and best airport. Laying down even more concrete is not the answer, we have to make the most of what we already have and if that means using the other hubs then so be it. If someone leaves LHR to transit through another hub, they still use one seat. None of the airlines you mention would want to use such large aircraft on a these shorter routes - they want to offer frequency of service, both for connections and business travellers. Loading an A380 for a quick hop to CDG is not logical - I was amazed to read AF actually tried it, but I don't think for very long! We have laid a network of motorways and are about to lay hundreds of km of new railway. If a new runway does go ahead, the total land take for it will be miniscule, and LHR will remain one of the world's most financially efficient (ie yield per square km) airports. |
I keep trying to figure the economic benefit in having passengers fly from other overseas airports to connect in the UK to elsewhere where they don't spend any money or pay any taxes. The other benefit from transfer passengers is that they make routes viable, which otherwise would not be. Look at any city in China with a European route. Outside SHA & PEK, they are almost all served by one airline, one route. How many people seriously want to fly from Helsinki to Chongqing? Hardly any, but add all the feeders and you have a route. For many routes, a direct service is still preferable to the airlines, as that will earn higher yields, but the transfers still top that up. |
Jabird, new aircraft are getting increasingly quieter (and cleaner). Remember the A380 is going to be with us for a while, so I don't think you can say technology will remove the noise just yet. Likewise, yes I agree new a/c are getting cleaner too, but that has to be offset against the industry still potentially growing (see growth - 2027 thread). Not convinced about HS2 loading more pax on LHR. Will a 15 minute time saving between Birmingham and London really alter travel plans when there's still the hassle of travel between London and Heathrow? Then consider the aggravation at the Birmingham end of getting to Curzon Street (not New Street) station! Time saving to Brum is more like 30 mins, or people could use the M42 parkway station. When I flew into LHR in Jan, I had to lug a heavy bag up and down stairs in Oxford Circus. So in that respect, hs2 would be far more useful, except I live in Coventry! The effect on marginal seats would not be as great as you suggest, especially those nearer the airport than Justine's, though agree that she would be vulnerable in Putney, maybe it's a price worth paying? For every LHR nimby, there's another who wants a job - but it is still a big risk to go ahead with the new airport. If that means losing a disposable member of the cabinet, that will have to be the risk they take. The second runway at LGW is only less politically risky because the local MPs have such large majorities that they could hold on to their seats even with a backlash from voters. It's a possible basis for government policy (?) but resolves nothing. Also, LGW does solve the capacity problem for point to point services, and could work as a hub in its own right, but ideally, expansion at LHR would be better. But we don't live in ideally! |
JABIRD
Yes at the moment I agree the European airlines wouldn't do it, but my point is in time if the demand keeps rising and LHR can't offer the slots then they may use larger aircraft and still maintain the frequency. Its already happening with EK A380s, what is it now 4 a day with possibly a 5th ? Do you really think all those pax are going to DXB only ? Like hell they are ! So not a daft argument just looking ahead thats all. Yes AF did fly CDG - LHR with the A380 for a while but it was mainly for crew training, I know, I went on one of the flights. |
Its already happening with EK A380s, what is it now 4 a day with possibly a 5th ? Do you really think all those pax are going to DXB only ? Like hell they are ! So not a daft argument just looking ahead thats all. If capacity in London is constrained, then it would be logical to expect the average aircraft size on any route to move upwards, but the biggest birds would still generally be the ones that were going to fly the furthest. So if the European hub carriers (and why not SK, OS, LX etc) all upgraded to the A380, why not all routes? That would give you 186m pax per year, assuming the same number of movements, standard 3 class config and 70% LF. Obviously, this isn't going to happen. What will happen is that airlines will use other airports apart from LHR if they want to feed their hubs. So as for those EK 380's, that is only part of the picture, as they also serve LGW, BHX, NCL & MAN too (in England). What were LH's aims with their LGW-FRA route? |
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