Biggin Hill airport is hopeful of cashing in on an Olympic bonus
about new early-morning and late-night flights over the borough.
airport freehold, to allow aircraft activity as early as 6.30am and as late as
11pm seven days a week for a 10-week period during the Olympic and Paralympic
games in summer 2012.
period.
period over the decision until February 18, action group Bromley Residents Against
Airport Development (BRAAD), which strongly opposes the proposals, says that not
enough has been done to gauge public opinion.
has declined to call a public meeting at which residents can express their views.
lot less.
protect those who lived nearby.
at weekends.
will pave the way for the permanent extension of opening hours of up to 26 hours
a week.
to counter.”
November indicated that the chairman wants to submit “wider variations” to the
lease, adding to fears that the airport would like a permanent change to its operating
hours and to the way air passengers are charged.
and we will need to carefully balance these very real concerns.
our commitment to consult with residents before reaching a decision.”
supported the Olympic extension plans.
there will be no opt-out from the stringent rules during the Olympic period.
a maximum of 75-seat aircraft.”
Biggin Hill Airport calls on community to back Olympic bid
and bring long-term benefits to the surrounding area.
to landlord
revenue.
the council the existence of the airport generates.
plans so that we can make the very best of this short-term event to win a legacy
of longer term and lasting benefits for the community.”
Bromley Council urged to reject airport’s plans to open longer for the Olympics
hours during the Olympic Games.
landlord
July 13 to September 23.
9am to 8pm at weekends.
wants a relaxation of the ban on fare-paying passengers.
pollution and more danger of accidents, of which we have had too many in recent
years.
decade their electorate have strongly opposed expansion at Biggin Hill.
be tempted by a handful of the airport’s silver.”
apprehension about noise and disruption and we will need to carefully balance
these very real concerns.
our commitment to consult with residents before reaching a decision.”
Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley, BR1 3UH or e-mail airport.consultation@bromley.gov.uk
by February 4.
BIGGIN HILL: Airport wants to be ‘the top-rated gateway’ to London 2012
be extended.
very convenient for the 2012
at weekends.
the council with a view to changing the lease.
does not have such generous hours and indeed a survey of similar airports to Biggin
Hill showed only five out of 90 had better opening hours.
time simply because the Olympic Games events will not wind up until about that
time.
the price – more noise, more traffic and more aircraft crash danger.
and it’s accepted that helicopters are far noisier than fixed wing aircraft.”
offer the services of the airport for the Olympics.
used to come in by aircraft to Biggin Hill and were helicoptered to Brands Hatch.
reveal the details at this stage.
from Biggin Hill Airport and as their landlord, we need to carefully examine their
proposals.
residents about this before any decision is taken.”
AIRPORT RESPONSE
decisions on key issues relating to our essential preparations for the 2012 London
Olympics.
be travelling to and from the Olympic Games by air.
sound, business-like, forward planning, fresh investment in resources and infrastructure
and the availability of newly recruited and trained staff.
additional revenues for accrual to the council that will generally assist Bromley
and London to maximise the commercial benefits of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
be requiring airport facilities over the two-month period between mid-July and
mid-September 2012.
recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
in place now in order to get on with the job of making Biggin Hill Airport the
top-rated gateway to London and the Olympic Games.
commitment to serve the London Games.”
a lease granted by the Council
the time allowed to consider Biggin Hill Airport’s 2012 Olympics Proposals.
extension in operating hours.
to the public about the Airport’s Olympics and other Proposals ?
– through the Council – over the Airport’s flight operations. Other controls are
on a national basis through Civil Aviation Authority and National Air Traffic
Control.
operation.
a backdoor way around the robust Airport Lease – which Lease has been underwritten
by Bromley Council, by the Supreme Court of Appeal, and by the Law Lords.
Associations and other Groups and local Residents opposed to the further development
of Biggin Hill Airport. In particular, BRAAD sees no reason for operating beyond
the terms of the existing Lease (as agreed both by Biggin Hill Airport Ltd. and
by Bromley Council) and as endorsed by the Supreme Court of Appeal and the House
of Lords.
Further information:
over the Airport’s Olympics Proposals be four months – as previously sought and
as understood by local residents to have been accepted by Council Leader Stephen
Carr.
on 8 December 2010 and ending on 4 February 2011.
September 2010.
(2) The Airport’s formal Olympics Proposals were then received by Bromley Council
on 15 November 2010 from Biggin Hill Airport Ltd [BHAL].
(3) Local residents pressed Cllr Carr for 4 months public consultation, knowing
that the Christmas and New Year breaks would intervene.
(4) But it was not until 8 December 2010 that Cllr Carr released details of the
Olympics Proposals to local residents – and this was only after considerable pressure
had been placed by local residents on Cllr Carr.
(5) After all this, Cllr Carr has allowed only 8 weeks for public consultation.
(6) Cllr Carr then sent these details to only 7 residents – hardly a “full public
consultation” ! And why was there a 3½ week delay before letting even only 7
local residents see what was being proposed ?
(7) The details that Cllr Carr sent to 7 local residents were marked
“Private & Confidential” and “Commercial in Confidence” !
It took another 7 days before local residents could secure written confirmation
from Cllr Carr that these security classifications could be removed and a wider
public consultation could begin. So a whole week was lost before local residents
could get to grips with what was proposed.
(8) The lengthy holiday period of Christmas and New Year meant that many local
residents were away or occupied with work, family and friends, and hence two further
weeks have effectively been lost for consultation.
(9) This, together with the week already lost getting confidentiality clearance
– see (7) above – means that 3 weeks out of 8 had already been lost even before
public consultation could begin !
(10) Furthermore, considerable confusion appears to abound within the Council
between Cllr Carr and Senior Council Officers on timing – with different dates
for key decision stages for the Proposals apparent between Cllr Carr and Council
Officers.
(11) Bromley Council’s own Press Release of 8 December 2010 had Cllr Carr saying
“…residents can comment on what is actually being proposed…”. However, the
Council’s Release then said “…the existing [operating hours are] 06:30 to 23:00
hours…”.
This statement is incorrect and implies that the extra hours sought were only
16 hours per week.
But residents have now discovered this should have been an extra 26 hours per
week – some error !
(12) This error has yet to be publicly corrected by Cllr Carr and (in legal terms)
is a material flaw which means that proper public consultation has yet to begin
– based on the correct information.
(13) And allowing only 5 weeks – see above at (7) and (8) – makes it impossible
for proper public consultation to take place.
(14) This is especially so when local residents need to consider the Proposals
and the Bromley Council Press Release in detail – only to discover that the information
on which local residents are being asked for views is fundamentally flawed !