swannick
 

hello there,
I was just wondering about whats happeneing with all moving south. Is it really? West Drayton is to move south. What does this mean also for the atco's who live up around london, surely they can't be expected to drive all the way down there.

Thanks people.

regards
Sam

TC will be moving down to Swanick in about 2 or 3 years years time. The latesr rumour I heard is that it will be November 2007.
The West Drayton site will become a housing estate.
All the staff involved in the move will be offered re-location packages.
The announcment for the move date has been delayed many times, the next update is the end of this month.

Swanwick has been fully operational for some years following the move of Area Control ops from West Drayton. The re-location packages referred to by Over+Out include help with housing, etc.

Very few ATCOs who work in the London complex actually live close by.. many live out to the west and south, preffering a longish drive to work with the benefits of living in the country.

HD, at least someone can spell. ;)

That's a moot point :mad:

Whipping Boy's SATCO, if you think HD is the only person on this thread that can spell, then was does preffering mean?? I prefer to use preferring, rather than refer to preffering, but each to his own I say.

Yeah, but HD's the only one who can spell

SWONIK ;)

Then best you don't say anything RD ;)

moot.............

"All the staff involved in the move will be offered re-location packages."

I doubt it.
Very much.
I'm sure they will go for the cheapskate options as usual and expect staff to drive significant extra distance at their own expense as they have done in the past. If only they could keep the goalposts still for once.........

I was just wondering because i live about 20mins away from west Drayton, im 15 studying hard to get accepted to do Air Traffic,*hopefully* which i really want to do! I was just wondering thats all, if its going all the way down there, i don't mind going for a few years to train, but i dont think i'd want to live down there. but i suppose i could put up with the drive :s id have to really.

Cheers guys.

"I'm sure they will go for the cheapskate options as usual and expect staff to drive significant extra distance at their own expense as they have done in the past. If only they could keep the goalposts still for once........."

Talkdown,

Why should this be the case? There is a corporate relocation policy and if you fit in and satisfy the terms then you will get a move.
My experience is that NATS don't want people commuting excessively. I seem to remeber though that you have to show a saving of 30 mins on the journey time to LACC from the new property against the old one. So if you are one hour away from LACC now then you would have to buy within 30 minutes of LACC-it stops you moving to the nice 5 bed place next door and letting NATS pay for it.
There is no doubt that even a company move is stressful and I wish all those that face it in the next few years the very best of luck.

Matt, irony was never one of my stong points. :p

trafficcontrol - ATCOs are a "mobile grade", as in the company can send you where they want if you pass selection, medical and college training. It's gonna be a long drive to Aberdeen every day...

Thats very true. We shall see how it goes. Take it as it comes. In reality, i want this job so much i'd do anything. Even move where ever they wanted me.

trafficcontrol. I wish you all the luck in the world. It was my boyhood dream to work at Heathrow. By devious means I eventually got into the "Ministry" and, following acceptance, wrote: "I would prefer to work in southern England if at all possible so I suppose I had better start learning the bagpipes". A few days later came the phone call: "How about Heathrow?" I'm still on cloud 9 33 years later!

Could one of you kindly Swanwick folk please PM me with directions to your place as I'm visiting next week for the first time! Believe it or not, I've never been:confused: :confused:

If you're visiting next week, your sponsor should be supplying you with the details.

ST

Thanks for your help soft top. :yuk: :yuk:

However, when I got in on a nightshift last night our computers were being replaced with NSD2. The directions had been sent to me but were in my email account which I couldn't access. Now I'm away for 2 weeks they aren't of much use to me.

Anyway, thats why I asked on here, didn't expect to come across someone as unhelpful as you though ........ :confused: :confused:

Sorry about that. Being too security conscious. This is an open forum after all. If you'd asked in the NATS forum, there wouldn't have been a problem.

I'm sure someone will PM you with the info. Not back at work for a few days myself so can't access what you need to know.

I'm usually helpful - honest! :ok:

ST

Fair point soft top, I should have been a little less vague:uhoh:

Apology accepted ......:ok:

If I don't get any directions, I will just follow the first Ferrari or Porsche that you band 5 ers drive around in, I'm sure they'll all be heading for Swanwick ....:{

WBS - Is that why your shirts are always creased?:}

I would prefer to use the word "Ruffled".

Ali,

The phone book gives the post code [if you spell Swanwick correctly] as SO31 7AY - See

All in the public domain :cool:

RT

Cheers RT :ok:

Never thought it would be listed in the phone book though to be honest ....:confused:

listed in the phone book!!!!!!!, its shown on all the A - Z's down here quite clearly as Air Traffic Control Centre.

Bottom of M3 stay in outside lane to head eastbound M27 (yes I know that sounds odd) Leave at junc 8 and pass back under motorway and back up the hill on dual carrigeway. At roundabout take a left and drop down hill, watch your speed as it passes from a 40 into a 30. As you pass over the river take a left at the traffic lights and stick to 30. Another favorite spot for the old bill to catch us in our band 5 cars. Follow this for about a mile back over motorway and you will see an entrance on the left hand side.

Pull into car park before barrier as I guess you will need a pass from the hitlers on the gate.

Easy as that.

No worries, found it eventually. I was a bit surprised the only sign for the place was at the top of the road. Still, I made it in the end bar one wrong turn by the Q8 garage across from the Chinese. :confused:

Nice place you lot work in though, and the ones I sat with were a nice bunch as well. It was weird meeting the voices at the other end of the phone after so long.:) :)

Didn't see a single Ferrari though, you dissapoint me .......:ok:

That's cause they're all parked in the Ferrari dealership back up towards that Chinese place you took the wrong turn at..........seriously ;)

Any truth in the rumour that it was supposed to have had its own exit from the Motorway at the front of the building, but that there would have been too much disturbance to local flora and fauna, which is why one has to sneak in from behind?

Guinness induced spelling fauls corrected

It would take someone in Holland to lower the tone with mention of "sneaking in from behind".

This is my partner and also my lover, Ralph...:ooh:

Huh???

L'nL, you had one too many pints of Guiness there mate?

Sorry Jerri, I don't drink diesel oil. :yuk:
I'm pacing myself this St Paddy's Day, waiting till all the girls in town are drunk and vulnerable before unleashing the kilt.... Okay, that doesn't mean unbuckling the kilt. Don't picture it, you'll go blind.
What? Too late?
:uhoh:

Ali Bongo

There are explicit directions available on the NATS intranet, including colour piccies :-) Glad you enjoyed the visit. No truth in the rumour that there was gonna be a motorway junction contructed! We like going in the back way ;-)

BD

<<We like going in the back way >>

mmmmmm