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Post by expressflight on Nov 16, 2008 7:47:58 GMT
www.echo-news.co.uk/news/3845946.Airport-chief-35m-plansThis latest piece in the Echo, reporting on Alastair Welch's meeting with the Chalkwell Residents' Association, has a couple of interesting points. If reported accurately, AW speaks of the the necessity of ".....refurbishment of the terminal building...". Does this mean that the plan of a couple of years ago to extend and modernise the existing terminal is back on the agenda in place (for the moment anyway) of building the new terminal? He is also quoted as saying "We have many companies who would like to buy the airport....... (and it's a matter of) making sure they are committed to the investment programme." Does this mean there is actually a fallback position if they are unable to conclude a deal with Stobart? Of course, this is from the Echo so it may not be a true reflection of what he actually said.
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Post by SENtence on Nov 26, 2008 10:21:15 GMT
Minutes of the August Consultative Committee meeting have now been posted on the airports website. Only comment related to the proposed sale is that they hoped to complete it soon. Here we are 3 months later and it doesn't appear that things have moved forward too much.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 27, 2008 9:34:27 GMT
It seems that Rochford District Council have chosen Option 3 for the airport. They wish to see the airport achieve its full potential whilst taking into account the environmental aspects and they are also in favour of expanding the non-aviation activities which an enlarged business park to the north-west of the airport would provide.
I think there is little doubt that Southend Borough Council also support Option 3 and Essex County Council also favour this option.
So, publication of the Phase 2 JAAP report next month should pave the way for the full development plan to go ahead for government approval next summer. That must encourage a potential buyer, although I still worry as to the significance of the continued delay in any announcement on that front.
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Post by southendobserver on Nov 27, 2008 16:37:52 GMT
Good to see that the councils are still fully backing any expansion plans.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 28, 2008 8:37:24 GMT
I would suggest that the outcome of the JAAP report is more important than the outcome of the present sale process.
The long term success of SEN depends upon Option 3 (or something based upon that option) being adopted and approved by government. That would happen by the end of 2009 allowing the planning process to take place in Spring 2010 and the runway configuration changes to be completed by summer 2011.
If the sale process were to fail this time around (and it has been awfully quiet on that front this week) I wonder if RAL have the funding to complete the rail station project. If so they might actually have another scheduled operator in place by Winter 2009/10 and, with government approval for the runway extension, would be in a stronger position to seek new bidders at that time. The recession might also be ending, or at least its length and consequences would be easier to judge by then than is the case now, making SEN a more attractive prospect.
I'm certainly not suggesting that failure of the current sale process would be a good thing, but merely that it wouldn't be a disaster either as some have been suggesting. In fact I find it surprising that in the light of the uncertainty over the outcome of the JAAP, together with the greatest economic upheaval in half a century, the sale process has actually got this far.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 28, 2008 10:35:57 GMT
Isn't it typical?
You write a piece suggesting that even if the sale/new investment doesn't go through now it's not the end of the world and the next thing you know is that good news is anticipated on that front.
It also looks like the rail station timetable (sorry, no pun intended) is on track (groan) for an October 2009 opening as planned.
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Post by roche on Nov 28, 2008 14:31:01 GMT
It's reassuring to read the points you made regarding the railway station. I was really worried that the lack of any announcement may have signaled that the plans to get the station finished by next October had hit the buffers. I take it your source for the information regarding both the station and the sale is from a contact rather than something you've read? Do you know if an announcement is imminent or will we have to wait a little longer?
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Post by expressflight on Nov 28, 2008 15:55:53 GMT
You take it correctly Roche.
As regards timescale, I really don't know but would have thought it may be a week or so before a statement is issued.
Oh, and the hotel is looking good too.
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Post by devonian on Nov 28, 2008 19:20:49 GMT
Good Heavens, what a turnaround! I hope your contact is right, Expressflight. Certainly SEN has tremendous potential but it won't be easy getting all those ducks in a row...... I'm impressed that somebody has the vision (and the credit) to make a purchase. Very best of luck to them.
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Post by roche on Nov 28, 2008 20:23:43 GMT
Just to confirm Expressflight's news re the sale, there is an article in tonights Echo quoting Alistair Welch speaking at the Thames Gateway Forum, where he stated that he had been in negotiations with a purchaser for some time and and he is confident an announcement would be made soon, but certainly by Christmas at the latest.
He also announced that Avioncare have recently signed a deal with London Executive Aviation to maintain their aircraft, which can only be good news for the airport.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 29, 2008 8:18:11 GMT
Purely for the sake of clarity, I confirm that the source of the information I posted yesterday did not come from the Thames Gateway Forum, nor from the speech that Alastair Welch made at that event. In fact, I was not even aware that the event had taken place until yesterday evening.
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Post by expressflight on Jan 2, 2009 14:26:53 GMT
As we approach the first working week of 2009, and I wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous (well you never know) New Year, I wonder when we can expect some announcements regarding the timetable for the anticipated development work.
I think we can expect moves to present to residents the facts regarding noise over the next few weeks and this will probably coincide with the publication of the preferred JAAP option; this seemingly having been delayed - perhaps to discuss its final draft with Stobarts first.
I assume that construction work on the station site will commence shortly, provided that access to the tracks has been agreed with Network Rail for March as was anticipated.
I also understood that the preferred operator of the hotel had been chosen and that it was just a matter of the new LSACL owners being happy with the arrangement, so perhaps a detailed planning application will be lodged with Southend Council this month.
It also shouldn't be too long before details of the new control tower become known and a timetable announced for its construction.
As far as the establishment of an FBO is concerned, there seems to have been no news on this for the past 6 months. Whether this delay is solely due to the sale process or whether the bidders for the concession (and I understood this to include some major players) have pulled back in light of the current economic woes I don't know.
Reading through the above, it really would be remarkable if all the development plans are progressed so rapidly, but it does seem to be the intention of the new owners that they should. Of course, now that the sale is a done deal there may be a few "ifs and buts" along the road so let's not get carried away.
One thing is for sure and that is that things certainly look very much more hopeful for the future than they did at this time last year, despite the poor economic outlook in the short term.
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Post by devonian on Jan 2, 2009 19:39:48 GMT
Happy New Year to you too.
Yes, indeed, 2009 seems to hold out more hope for SEN than for many a long year. I popped in soon after Christmas; no sign of anything happening, although I didn't really expect it yet. They'll have to get their skates on soon though.
I hope Stobart have been holding discussions with airlines, but I guess the airlines will hold back until they see whether the developments really do take place.......
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Post by expressflight on Jan 6, 2009 13:39:20 GMT
Stobart Group today announced that they intend to take up their option to purchase Carlisle Airport, subject to finalising a mutually acceptable Section 106 agreement with Carlisle City Council. Their purchase of CAX would bring the prospect of a CAX-SEN scheduled service that bit closer.
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Post by expressflight on Jan 15, 2009 13:48:47 GMT
Just a quick update on the JAAP process.
It is hoped that the publication of the preferred option consultation document may come a step closer following meetings with RDC council members next week. I don't know quite what has caused the delay or if any problems have been identified concerning the preferred option, but I don't envisage the consultation process commencing until mid-February at the earliest.
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