Plan for huge airport in the Severn Estuary, “Severnside Airport”, submitted to Airports Commission
Plans for a new £5 billion Severnside airport which would serve 40 million passengers every year have been put submitted to the Airports Commission. The plan by MSP Solutions, is for a new airport constructed on a reclaimed island in the Severn Estuary, between Chepstow and Newport in South Wales, which would replace Bristol and Cardiff airports (which would have to close), and would be the biggest regional airport in the country – (in the perhaps unlikely event it is ever built). The aim is to build the new airport alongside the M4 and the First Great Western rail link to London. Not surprisingly Bristol Airport believes that efforts at dealing with expected growth in air travel should be concentrated on the existing airports. The CEO of Bristol airport says “The idea of a new Severnside Airport was dismissed by the Aviation White Paper in 2003 on the basis that it would ‘struggle to attract sufficient traffic to be financially viable and would not generate sufficient economic or regeneration benefits to merit support’. The Commission will continue to consider the submissions received and decide in December which merit further detailed study, for final decision after the summer 2015 election.
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original photo at http://www.origin3studio.co.uk/blog/?post_type=portfolio&p=223 
original photo at http://www.origin3studio.co.uk/blog/?post_type=portfolio&p=223
Plans for £5 billion Severnside airport put forward as part of a major study
Plans for a new £5 billion Severnside airport which would serve 40 million passengers every year have been put forward as part of a major study into the UK’s aviation industry.
Plans submitted by John Borkowski .
Plans for a new £5 billion Severnside airport which would serve 40 million passengers every year have been put forward as part of a major study into the UK’s aviation industry.
The new airport would replace Bristol and its rival Cardiff and would be the biggest regional airport in the country – in the perhaps unlikely event it is ever built.
Industry players, pressure groups and regional airports have all been asked to stake their various claims as part of a government-appointed Airport Commission.
The scores of submissions and proposals from across the UK were published yesterday and the commission will announce its final findings in 12 months time.
And as part of the process various organisations have been putting forward their plans and ideas for how best to serve the needs of people living in the Bristol area and the whole of the South West.
MSP Solutions, the consortium which is also behind plans to build a new airport on the Thames Estuary, has drawn up a detailed business case for the ambitious scheme to build the new airport between Chepstow and Newport in South Wales.
If the scheme did go ahead it would mean that both Bristol and Cardiff airports would close down but MSP argues that much of the work would transfer from the two airports.
The aim is to build the new airport alongside the M4 and the First Great Western rail link to London.
Cardiff and Bristol have enjoyed contrasting fortunes in recent years. Bristol has been one of the best performing regional airports while passenger numbers have plummeted at Cardiff and major airlines have also pulled out of the ailing airfield.
The Welsh Regional Assembly stepped in and bought the airport earlier this year for £52 million with passenger numbers dipping below 1.2 million.
Not surprisingly Bristol Airport believes that efforts at dealing with expected growth in air travel should be concentrated on the existing airports.
This year the airport dealt with just under six million passengers but has a £150 million expansion plan in place which will see passenger numbers increase to ten million a year.
Bristol Airport has long argued that rather than concentrating efforts on airports in the South East regional airports should be allowed to expand and deal with more passengers.
Opponents have said that poor transport links and the hills surrounding Lulsgate have hindered the airport.
But bosses at Bristol argue that the new generation of fuel efficient planes such as the A350 and Boeings Dreamliner will mean people will be able to fly to long-haul destinations direct from the South West including America and the Middle East.
Robert Sinclair, chief executive at Bristol Airport, said: “As the leading airport serving South West England and South Wales, Bristol Airport already handles nearly six million passengers a year travelling to more than 100 direct destinations.
“With planning permission in place for facilities to handle 10 million passengers per year, and new aircraft technology opening up access to long haul destinations, the airport is well positioned to meet the connectivity requirements of both regions in the medium and long term.”
He added: “The Airports Commission has received many proposals for different airport schemes right across the UK. It is important that these are deliverable solutions not somewhat far-fetched proposals reliant on the forced closure of a successful, privately owned airport which supports thousands of jobs.
“The idea of a new Severnside Airport was dismissed by the Future of Air Transport White Paper back in 2003 on the basis that it would ‘struggle to attract sufficient traffic to be financially viable and would not generate sufficient economic or regeneration benefits to merit support’.
“Given that the long-term demand forecasts on which this decision was based have since been revised downwards, it is difficult to see how a different conclusion could be drawn today.”
Cardiff Airport has also come out fighting and has bizarrely claimed it could transform itself into Heathrow Airport’s sixth terminal.
The Airports Commission has received more than 120 plans or proposals and said many have been “imaginative and thoughtful”.
Chairman Sir Howard Davies added that the responses “show clearly the wide spectrum of views that exist”.
Plans supported by London Mayor Boris Johnson for a new four-runway airport to the east of London and proposals for the expansion of Gatwick and Stansted have also been put forward.
Sir Howard, a former head of the Financial Services Authority, is due to present an interim report on UK airport needs by the end of this year and a full report in summer 2015.
He said: “The proposals that we have received and that we have published today demonstrate imaginative and thoughtful responses to the challenges that the Airports Commission has been set, but also show clearly the wide spectrum of views that exist on these issues.
“The timetable to comment is tight, as we need to move quickly to winnow down the options and reduce uncertainty for potentially affected communities.
“I encourage everyone with an interest to make their views known, to help inform our recommendations on these complex and important questions.”
Pictured: Computer generated image from Severnside Airport of the proposed international airport which will serve Wales and the West of England.