|
Post by expressflight on Apr 6, 2009 11:36:18 GMT
Southend Radio 105.1 have a series of features on the JAAP consultation tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday.
Tomorrow the Council will be putting their case, Wednesday it's the objectors turn and on Thursday AW will be putting the airport's side of things.
I don't know the times, but perhaps someone in Southend can find out and post the details here.
|
|
|
Post by jon on Apr 6, 2009 14:33:06 GMT
i think they are doing features in their news programmes at 1pm and 5pm. also i understand that there is an airport roadshow on at eastwood community centre this afternoon/evening.
|
|
|
Post by Thames Gateway on Apr 6, 2009 14:35:23 GMT
According to Southend Radio website: "Listen to our main News programmes at 1pm and 6pm for more. Tomorrow - through to Thursday - we'll bring you the views of people in the know. Tuesday, you'll hear from the Council - Wednesday a local campaigner and on Thursday the main man - the Managing Director of Southend Airport, Alastair Welch. You can also find more details about the consultaton by going to the links page and clicking through to Southend Borough Council's website. The final drop in sessions are today at the Eastwood Community Centre, Western Approaches, Southend, from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm" The 'drop in clinic' is I believe the one SAEN are trying to descend on mob-handed. Specially for expressflight, you can listen live online: asx.abacast.com/southend-southend-64.asx works on Windows mediaplayer. There is about a 10 second delay!
|
|
|
Post by jon on Apr 6, 2009 14:45:28 GMT
going to pop in to the drop in clinic this evening.
|
|
|
Post by expressflight on Apr 6, 2009 16:28:02 GMT
Much obliged TG.
|
|
|
Post by Tarquin on Apr 7, 2009 19:57:45 GMT
I see the JAAP consultation has been extended until 15 May.
|
|
|
Post by Thames Gateway on Apr 8, 2009 23:07:57 GMT
Yes. Young Kiti and her band of (in)SAEN followers will be congratulating themsleves on this. I expect they will try many similar obfuscating/delaying tactics wherever they can. Did anyone hear what was said by her on Southend Radio today?
|
|
|
Post by expressflight on Apr 9, 2009 7:02:50 GMT
Yes, I listened to both her contribution and that of the Southend Council Transport spokesman the day before.
Mrs Theobold was unimpressive and most of the 3 or 4 minute slot was taken up with her responding to the interviewer's suggestion that either Prittlewell or Rochford stations may close once the SEN station is open. She could have dismissed that question by saying that the station was not even subject to the outcome of the JAAP consultation but is a fait accompli. She did not seem to have any firm points that she wished to make or give any solid examples of why the planned development is such a bad thing. When asked if the rapid transit system and the station would reduce the pressure on the road network all she could say was that people would rather just put their cases in the boot of their car than use public transport. If I had been a member of SAEN I would have been most disappointed with her performance.
Anna Waite(?) from the Council was much more positive, stressing that aircraft such as the A319 have, among other things, much better climb performance so would be perceived as being quieter as a result, that currently there could well be 30 night movements while this would be much reduced only if the runway extension went ahead. She tackled the fact that most JAAP responses were objections by saying that this is what the Council had anticipated would be the case. She also made the point of up to 5,000 jobs being created by the new business park and that these high quality jobs would encourage young Southend graduates to return to the town for their careers.
It will be interesting to hear what AW has to say this lunchtime, but the whole thing is a bit of a disappointment so far as the edited interviews only lasted less than 5 minutes, so I feel that Southend Radio have rather over-hyped the significance of their 'special feature'.
|
|
|
Post by expressflight on Apr 10, 2009 7:29:10 GMT
I listened to the 'full' interview with Alastair Welch which was broadcast at about 1130 on Southend Radio, the edited version being played at 1300.
He started by running through the Phase I developments, saying that he hoped the station would open in December, but that it would be tight to achieve, that the hotel was due to open in 2010 and that the new terminal should open in 2011. There was no mention of the new control tower.
The said that a runway extension "of around 200 to 300 metres" would enable much quieter, faster climbing and more fuel efficient aircraft to operate commercially from SEN, that the present allowance of up to 900 night movements per month would be drastically reduced as a condition of planning consent for the runway and that Eastwoodbury Lane would be diiverted without it joining the A127 and would eliminate the increasingly frequent closure of the barriers on its current route which will arise without the runway extension. He summed up these points by saying that they represented a net gain for everyone.
He specifically spoke about freight flights, saying that SEN was never going to be a major freight airport and that it would remain a niche player for urgent, high value goods. He made it clear that this was Stobart's view as well as his.
He said that at peak hours with a throughput of 2 mppa there would be a total of less than 500 car movements per hour and that this was similar to that seen at a medium sized supermarket and would not cause the congestion that some are predicting. When asked if SEN really could generate 2 mppa he said that, at present, there are 1 mppa flying to Europe from the Southend, Rochford, Basildon and Castle Point areas (he also used the phrase "within 20 minutes drive of the airport") proving that the demand is there.
The interviewer finished by thanking Alastair and saying that what he had said may reassure some people about the planned development.
The 'full' interview was not very long so did not allow a lot of detail to be gone into. If I have missed out any points he made I apologise but I was not able to record the interview from my internet radio, so the above is from memory.
|
|
|
Post by goldhanger on Apr 10, 2009 8:55:39 GMT
I think if I remember correctly he also said that aim of 2mppa would be achieved in between 10 and 15 years.
|
|
|
Post by southendobserver on Apr 30, 2009 18:23:40 GMT
|
|
|
Post by roche on May 26, 2009 0:49:12 GMT
An article in the Echo today (Monday) states that it (The Echo) understands that both Southend and Rochford councils have changed their mind and will no longer support expansion of the airport (I assume this refers to the proposed runway extension). The Echo reports that given the strength of public opinion, both councils feel that it would be 'political suicide' to offer their support. I also understand that David Amess the Southend West MP has made a recent speech in The Commons expressing 'major reservations' about the proposed expansion.
|
|
|
Post by Humberside on May 26, 2009 9:54:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by devonian on May 26, 2009 16:12:12 GMT
Let's hope that the Ech is wrong - it often is! However, I wouldn't be surprised if Southend Council did remove their support. They, and a vocal minority of the people of Southend and Westcliff, have often seemed determined to block any developments. The result has been a slow but predictable decline in the area's economic fortunes. What a shame it would be if this great opportunity for the town is lost.
This morning I happended to be udner the flightpath to Exeter Airport and I listened with interest as first an EMB 195 and then a Dash 8-Q400 flew overhead. The EMB-195 jet was much quieter than the turboprop, and of course flew over more quickly. If the future of Southend Airport depends on Dash 8s and ATRs then the people of Sothend will be more affected by noise than if they allowed trhe runway extension to proceed!
|
|
|
Post by expressflight on May 26, 2009 20:15:05 GMT
Devonian, Could I suggest your register a username on the Echo's 'Reply' facility to stories in the paper? You could then add a comment on that noise experience to the discussion of the current Echo story. Every bit of positive 'evidence' is useful at this point as Councillors do read those 'replies'.
|
|