Gloucester Scrutiny sees sense over Staverton airport

4.3.2008   (Gloucester Green Party)

Some 25 protesters from Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud Green parties along
with CASE, Gloucestershire Airport Action Group, Plane Stupid and others held
a candelit vigil for common sense before the Gloucester City Council Overview
and Scrutiny Management Committee meeting last night.

Protesters then went inside to hear the discussions and even participate in the
debate. They were delighted that the committees recommendation was not to support
plans to expand Staverton Airport. See comments before vigil here and blog report
of vigil here.

Comments after the Gloucester City Council Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee
meeting last night re their recommendation to not support plans to expand Staverton
Airport:

Bryan Meloy, coordinator of Gloucester Green party said: “The way Cheltenham
Town Council seemed to rubber stamp this airport expansion plan had left me deeply
concerned for the state of democracy. Gloucester City Council Scrutineers have
tonight demonstrated far greater understanding of the issues and I hope that this
level of competence and integrity will continue to be seen in Cabinet on Wednesday.”

Philip Booth, a Stroud District councillor (Green) and member of Gloucestershire
Airport Action Group who joined the demonstration said:   “The report by the Joint
Airport Scrutiny Working Group failed to properly address any of the real concerns
of expanding this airport. It is no wonder, as there is no economic or environmental
justification for supporting this expansion. It is good that these councillors
have recognised this and recommended rejection of the expansion plans. This is
a positive result. We now trust that Cabinet and Council will also recognise the
wisdom and sense in this decision. “

Gloucester Scrutiny sees sense over Staverton

also on Philip Booth’s blogspot

and

Expansion at Staverton       6.3.2008  

Gloucestershire Airport’s expansion plans were withdrawn from discussion at last
night’s Gloucester City Council meeting.
“The amount of business this can generate, the airport itself; it attracts business,
it attracts new people to the area and we’ve got a beautiful area.”   said Mark
Ryan, Airport Director
In Spring last year we heard that Gloucestershire Airport bosses were looking
to redevelop the runway which would allow bigger and more aircraft to use the
airport.
The extension to the runway would create a bigger safety zone to be able to compete
commercially with other airports and could even see flights to places like Amsterdam.
But the latest is that Gloucester City politicians have refused to give the expansion
plans clearance for take-off. Instead they’ve been put on hold pending further
discussions with the airport company and other interest groups.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2007/05/14/staverton_runway_feature.shtml
So what impact would an expanded airport have on people in the area?
Click below to hear a few thoughts.

City Council Leader Paul James shared the reasons for the decision on the BBC
Radio Gloucestershire breakfast show, with his first reason focusing on the land
needed:

“First of all the extension of the runway would require some extra land on adjacent
property that the City Council owns, which could be potentially very valuable
in the future – one concern is that contributing that might compromise its value.”

To listen to more from Paul James, along with a full interview with Darren Lewington,
the Operations Manager at Gloucestershire Airport, click on the links below.

Airport Director, Mark Ryan said: “We welcome this decision and will work closely
with Gloucester and Cheltenham Councils to ensure that the safety, environmental
and economic implications of the project are fully understood before the Gloucester
Cabinet makes any decision.”  

Tell us what YOU think about the idea below.

Simon Williams spent some time hearing reaction from those who live close-by.
His first stop was at the Eastern end of the airport:

Simon then moved on to the end of the runway, to a garden nursery that has to
live with the sound of the airport and the motoryway:

last updated: 06/03/2008 at 08:34