London Southend Airport terminal extension approved
Southend airport has been granted approval for the extension of its terminal building by Rochford Council. There will also be five more aircraft stands. Despite strong opposition, only one member of the public was permitted to speak against the application. Only two councillors voted against. Work on the extension will start later this year. The new terminal was opened in March, but the extension will add another 90 metes to it, more than doubling its size, with more check-in desks and baggage drop off points. more security screening channels, larger arrivals and departures lounges, more retail etc. It has emerged that Anglian Water were not informed of the application. SAEN understands that the water company is less than happy, as the new terminal as it stands was only just approved as it took the sewage system up to 100% capacity. The extension will exceed capacity. The airport is looking at 6 million passengers per year by 2020, rather than the 2 million previously anticipated.
Rochford District Council approves more expansion of Southend Airport
21.4.2012 (SAEN – Stop Airport Extension Now, at Southend)
RDC has granted permission to more than double the size of the new terminal at Southend Airport, only weeks after it first opened, at a meeting on Thursday 19th April. Despite strong opposition, only one member of the public was permitted to speak against the application. No one spoke in support of it.
Approval was given despite a large number of councillors being absent. Only 14 attended, six of whom declared interests but were still allowed to vote. Voting took place almost immediately after SAEN[1] member Bernard Free had finished speaking. There was no detailed scrutiny of the application by councillors, in stark contrast to the residential application they had considered earlier in the agenda.
SAEN Chairman, Graham Whitehead said “This is unfortunately the level of democracy we have come to expect from our local councils. They go through the motions of consulting residents, then completely ignore them and do whatever the airport wants. The airport hasn’t kept their promise of thousands of jobs and residents’ quality of life is being destroyed.”
It has emerged that Anglian Water were not informed of the application. SAEN understands that the water company is less than happy. They have stated that the new terminal as it stands was only just approved as it took the sewage system up to 100% capacity. Clearly, the newly-approved terminal extension will put the sewage system over-capacity with the additional rain water and other waste that the system will need to accommodate.
In the past, the Airport has always said that they are aiming for 2 million passengers per year by 2020. However, it is understood that easyJet are looking to handle as many as 6 million passengers per year. This will mean even more noisy flights over the 70,000 local residents who live under the flight path and more congestion on Southend’s busy roads.
ENDS.
Notes to Editors
- “Stop Airport Extension Now” (SAEN) was formed to campaign against the runway extension at Southend Airport. The group is not opposed to the Airport itself, which has co-existed with the residents of Southend for many years. SAEN is opposed to the inappropriate expansion of the airport, which is causing a massive increase in flights and destroying the lives of the people living, working or going to school anywhere near the flightpath.
For further information:
- Visit the SAEN website – http://saen.org.uk/
- http://www.saen.org.uk/2012/04/rochford-district-council-approves-more-expansion-of-southend-airport/
Southend gets approval for terminal extension
Southend airport has been granted approval for the extension of its terminal building by Rochford Council.
The new terminal officially opened in March, and Easyjet launched operations from the facility to destinations including Amsterdam, Barcelona and Belfast in April.
The airport says construction of the extension is “planned to get underway later this year”, and will see the building expanded by 90 metres, with additional features including:
- An increased number of check-in desks and baggage drop off points
- Additional security screening channels
- An enlarged departure lounge
- A larger arrivals area with enhanced baggage reclaim facilities and a larger immigration area
- Expanded retail and catering facilities
Southend airport says that passengers currently departing the facility wait “a maximum of four minutes for security”, while arriving travellers with hand luggage-only “can expect to travel from plane to train within 15 minutes of leaving the aircraft”.
The airport expects passenger numbers to “grow towards two million per year by 2020”
Southend’s managing director Alastair Welch said: “We are very pleased that Rochford Council has indicated they support this extension, which will ensure that we are able to maintain the high levels of customer service we intend to be the hallmark of Southend Airport as our passenger numbers grow.
“This is also further evidence of the role the redeveloped airport is playing in supporting the regeneration of the wider economy.”
http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/2517280-southend-gets-approval-terminal-extension
Earlier, the airport had said:
Terminal Extension Will Create 300 New Jobs
Terminal extension will create local employment boost
A proposed extension to the brand new terminal at London Southend Airport would result in more than 300 hundred additional new jobs being created.
The airport’s planning proposal has just been submitted to Rochford Council, whose members will make a decision over whether to grant permission in the next few months.
Phase Oneof the new terminal is now complete and becomes operational on 28 February 2012. The new light and airy, fly-through terminal building is less than 100 paces from the new railway station and is all about simplicity, speed and service. Passengers flying out from the airport will wait for a maximum of four-minutes for security, whilst those arriving with just hand luggage can expect to travel from plane to train within 15 minutes of leaving the aircraft.
This proposed Phase Two of the new terminal is to ensure these promised high standards of service are not compromised as passenger numbers grow towards 2million per year in the future.
The planned extension would see the terminal building becoming 90 metres longer. The number of check in desks / baggage drop off points will increase, as will the amount of security screening channels. The Departure Lounge will grow in size to enhance the experience for passengers relaxing and awaiting boarding after security. A larger Arrivals area will have enhanced baggage reclaim facilities and a larger immigration area. Retail and catering facilities will be expanded throughout the terminal in order to provide a much wider range of shops and services available to passengers.
The 300 new jobs arising from the increase in Southend based aircraftwill result in a variety of additional operational and service roles such as passenger service, security, retail, catering, baggage handling, engineering and maintenance, plus airline crew from London Southend based airline operations.
London Southend Airport Managing Director Alastair Welch says “This extension will ensure that we are able to maintain the high levels of customer service we intend to be the hallmark of London Southend Airport as our passenger numbers grow. No changes are proposed – or needed – to the binding legal agreement already made with Rochford, Southend and Essex County Council which sets out the comprehensive controls on the way the airport operates, including noise controls, limits on number and type of operations and night flights and promotion of sustainable transport – all of which were already designed to cater for 2 million passengers a year.”
He added“This is also more evidence of the role the redeveloped airport can and will play in supporting the regeneration of the wider economy.”
If the extension plan is passed, construction work could get underway later this year.
A member of SAEN, the local campaign group, writes (late March 2012) that he has learned from a local property letting company that they cannot get enough properties in the Southend area. There are staff from Stansted being relocated to Southend, because of the easyJet flights starting in April. An advert in the Leigh Times says: ”Quality Homes wanted within commuting distance of Southend Airport for relocating airline staff 01702 277 681″
So much for the hopes of lots of new jobs for Southend area people.