Plymouth airport is dead, says Sutton Harbour Holdings boss – Arup report says site should be safeguarded
Jason Schofield, chief executive of Sutton Harbour Holdings, has said that Plymouth airport is “dead” and mothballing the site will prevent regeneration of a strategic city asset for at least 20 years. He said there is no prospect of the airport, which closed in December 2011, ever reopening. The last commercial flight left more than 3 years ago. His comments are in response to a report from independent consultants Arup, which was released last week and concluded the land should remain protected for possible aviation uses. Council leader Tudor Evans said the report, commissioned as part of work being carried out on the Plymouth Plan, backs the local authority’s position that the land should be preserved for possible aviation uses. Sutton Harbour Holdings is now looking to sell the long-lease on the 113-acre site, said: “In calling for the former airport site to be safeguarded for aviation, the council is, therefore, proposing that one of the most important strategic development sites in the region, let alone the city, be mothballed for at least two decades, stymieing investment and job creation. ….The former airport site simply can’t work as a commercial airport.”
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Plymouth airport is dead, says Sutton Harbour Holdings boss
Plymouth Herald
17.9.2014
PLYMOUTH airport is “dead” and mothballing the site will prevent regeneration of a strategic city asset for at least 20 years, the boss of Sutton Harbour Holdings says.
In a strongly-worded letter to The Herald, Jason Schofield, SHH’s chief executive, says there is no prospect of the airport, which closed in December 2011, ever reopening.
“Let’s face facts, the airport is dead,2 Mr Schofield writes. “The last commercial flight left more than three years ago and any notion of it re-opening has become a minority debate.”
The letter was written in response to a report from independent consultants Arup, which was released last week and concluded the land should remain protected for possible aviation uses.
Council leader Tudor Evans said the report, commissioned as part of work being carried out on the Plymouth Plan, backs the local authority’s position that the land should be preserved for possible aviation uses.
However, Mr Schofield, whose firm is now looking to sell the long-lease on the 113-acre site, said in his letter: “In calling for the former airport site to be safeguarded for aviation, the council is, therefore, proposing that one of the most important strategic development sites in the region, let alone the city, be mothballed for at least two decades, stymieing investment and job creation.”
He goes on to say: “The business community has moved on, as has the vast majority of the local population, who let’s be honest, did not use the airport in sufficient numbers to sustain commercial services in the first place. If they had it would still be open.”
He adds: “The former airport site simply can’t work as a commercial airport.
“So it is time to move on and look at what the site can provide in terms of jobs and new homes, both of which the city is crying out for.”
Mr Schofield said Plymouth has a choice of three other South West airports, including Exeter which connects to London, Newcastle and Manchester.
Earlier this month, SHH’s annual meeting heard the waterfront regeneration company would be happy to sell the former airport site – but only at the right price.
Mr Schofield stresses in his letter that the “lion’s share” of proceeds from developing the land would go to the council, a windfall of “potentially tens of millions of pounds” that could be ploughed into boosting the city economy.
SHH would reinvest its slice of any lease sale cash into developing its waterfront assets.
Viable, the campaign group which wants to reopen the airport for commercial flights, has welcomed the Arup report saying there is a need for Plymouth to protect its strategic transport infrastructure.
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Plymouth airport campaigners welcome consultants’ report
By Plymouth Herald
September 10, 2014
By SAM BLACKLEDGE Herald reporter
A CAMPAIGN group has welcomed a report recommending that Plymouth’s airport site should be protected for possible aviation use in the future.
Consultant group Arup concluded that the land should remain safeguarded, warning that if it is given over to development the city would lose its only airport infrastructure.
Raoul Witherall, chairman of campaign group Viable which wants to reopen the airport for commercial flights, said: “This is good news in that there is now a growing recognition of the need for Plymouth to protect its strategic transport infrastructure.
“Our city’s future economic potential will rely on high-quality connectivity with the UK and the rest of the world which road and rail will struggle to deliver. Viable submitted high-quality evidence that we are pleased was taken into account.”
Mr Witherall says the group is determined to ensure the airport site is protected, and believes planes will one day be welcome there once more.
“Protecting the land is a vital first step and we continue to work hard on our plans to resume flying from Plymouth again,” he said.
The Arup reports found that some form of airport operations could regain a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority, but that alone would not lead to ‘a straightforward route to reinstating flights’.
“Safeguarding the airport site while work on a business case is prepared and thoroughly investigated may be an option the Council would wish to set out in the Plymouth Plan,’ the consultants say.
The council cabinet will now make a final decision on the planning position with the airport land when it considers the draft of the Plymouth Plan in December this year.
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Some earlier stories about the closure of Plymouth airport:
Dec 23, 2011 … Plymouth Airport closed today. No aircraft will be able to use the site from this evening. The site has been used for flying since the mid-1920s. www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=577 |
Feb 28, 2014 … Sutton Harbour Holdings, the leaseholder, closed Plymouth airport in December 2011 and has plans to build homes, shops and offices on the … www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=20164 |
Plymouth airport closed in December 2011, as it was no longer viable. Now a petition – organised by the Viable Group – calling for the airport to be saved has … www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=740 |
Sep 25, 2012 … Flights from Plymouth airport stopped in July 2011. Councillors have pledged to protect Plymouth’s former airport from future development by … www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=507 |
May 10, 2012 … Viable Group, which is an American investment advisor located in Texas, hopes to reopen Plymouth City Airport, and wants Plymouth City … www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=1877 |
Apr 28, 2011 … Plymouth City Airport is to close in December. Its owner, Sutton Harbour Group, blamed the economic downturn and. www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=1901 |