Carlisle airport’s application for 394,000 square foot freight centre delayed again
A decision on the future of Carlisle Airport has been delayed again. Stobart Group wants to build a 394,000sq ft freight-distribution centre and to resurface the runway ready for scheduled passenger flights and an airfreight service. Carlisle City councillors were due to consider the planning application this month, but it has been withdrawn from the development control committee’s agenda at Stobart’s request, as they want to submit more information. It is now up for review on 6th July. Planning officers were advising councillors to turn it down on the grounds that “the distribution centre appears to be primarily for road haulage rather than airport related”.
FRESH DELAY FOR STOBART GROUP’S CARLISLE AIRPORT PLANNING APPLICATION
By Julian Whittle
29 May 2012 (News & Star)
A decision on the future of Carlisle Airport has been delayed again.
Stobart Group wants to build a 394,000sq ft freight-distribution centre and to resurface the runway ready for scheduled passenger flights and an airfreight service.
City councillors were due to consider the planning application a week on Friday.
But now the item has been withdrawn from the development control committee’s agenda at Stobart’s request.
A council spokeswoman said: “We have agreed to defer consideration following a request from Stobart for an opportunity to submit further information in support of their application.
“We are pleased to receive any information that will assist it in properly determining what is a very important application.
“Once we have analysed the information that Stobart are going to submit, we will arrange a special meeting so the matter can be determined as soon as possible.”
Officials hope a new date can be set later in June.
Stobart had been pressing for the council to deal with the planning application sooner rather than later.
However, it is understood the company asked for more time so that it can respond to the latest findings of the council’s aviation consultants.
The planning application was to have been dealt with last July but was also delayed then at Stobart’s request.
Planning officers were advising councillors to turn it down on the grounds that “the distribution centre appears to be primarily for road haulage rather than airport related”.
Stobart asked for time to challenge those findings.
That triggered months of delay as documents were exchanged between the council, consultants, Stobart Group and the objectors.
Councillors first backed proposals to redevelop the airport in 2008 but the scheme was dropped after the then Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, called a public inquiry.
The council approved a second planning application in 2009 only for the decision to be quashed in the Court of Appeal when Irthington farmer Gordon Brown sought a judicial review.
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Comment from a local Carlisle resident:
- The application for Carlisle Airport is up for review at a special planning meeting on July 6th.
- Last July the developer asked for the application to be deferred at Carlisle’s DCC (Development and Control committee) meeting when the officer’s report recommended a refusal.
- The developer has spent the last 12 months trying to challenge the professional reports produced by the Council’s specialist consultants ASA (and Gordon Brown’s Advisors – YORK aviation)
- The airport developers have attempted to submit a robust business plan to support their case – which has not stood up to scrutiny.
- After an Audit Commission investigation the Chief Executive has since retired and the Conservatives have a new leader.
- Carlisle Council is now run by the Labour party – Their leader seems to be an educated man who wants to review it on the evidence not the illusion.
- Audit Commission points of recommendation (about 11) appeared to have been adhered to during this application.
ASA and York Aviation reports are worth a look at ASA letter-26th June 2012
Economic Consulting Associates found “Taken together, these observations lead me to conclude that the model version I have seen would not be a safe basis for an investment appraisal.
and
It is well recognised that commercial benefits can arise for an airport as a
consequence of increasing passenger numbers. For airports in a competitive market,
this influences the charges that can be levied on airlines and the prevalence of heavy
discounting by airports to attract new routes is well documented. The nature of
markets mean that an airport cannot rely on retaining such benefits for long. It
seems implausible that benefits of this kind arising at another airport should
materially underpin an investment decision at Carlisle airport.
The report from ASA says:
Although our own analysis indicates that neither the full project itself nor the proposed
airport operations themselves are financially viable, this does depend on the initial airport
infrastructure and financing costs. If these can be disregarded (ie treated as ‘sunk’ costs –
possibly as a precondition of planning consent) and Stobart agree to pay the rental for the
FDC as indicated by Hyde Harrington, then the project shows positive cash flows to 2035.
The airport would, however, make a loss on its commercial air services – so it may seek
to discontinue these but keep general aviation operations.
Earlier:
CARLISLE AIRPORT DECISION COULD BE MADE NEXT MONTH
30 March 2012 (News & Star)
The long-running wrangle over the future of Carlisle Airport could soon be resolved.
Stobart Group’s planning application to build a 394,000sq ft freight-distribution centre and resurface the runway is due to go before Carlisle city councillors on June 8. But Stobart says it should be heard sooner and is pressing the council to set a date in April.
The application was to have been dealt with last July but was delayed at Stobart’s request.
Then, planning officers were advising councillors to turn it down on the grounds that “the distribution centre appears to be primarily for road haulage rather than airport related”.
Stobart asked for time to challenge those findings and that triggered months of delay as documents were exchanged between the council, consultants, Stobart Group and objectors.
Darren Crossley, the council’s deputy chief executive, said: “The only way we can allow development there is if it is enabling to the airport. The applicant has to show that is the case. It has been a big challenge to get the level of detail required to allow members to come to a clear decision.”
He added that the application would not be heard until after the council elections on May 3, given that some members of the development control committee were involved in the poll.
However, Richard Butcher, deputy chief executive of Stobart Group, is calling for an earlier date.
He said: “Because of the obvious impact of this development on the local economy and in securing jobs, we are currently working with the council to get a date in April, before the local elections.”
Stobart Group has the support of Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce.
He said: “We’d like this to be resolved as quickly as possible. We’ve got the Carlisle Northern Development Route and the prospect of nuclear new build in west Cumbria. The airport is another key piece in the jigsaw.”
Councillors backed proposals to redevelop the airport in 2008 but that was withdrawn after the then-Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, called a public inquiry. The council approved a second planning application in 2009 only for the decision to be quashed in the Court of Appeal.
A third application last year ran into difficulties when the council’s aviation consultants concluded that the airport had little potential. Stobart has since outlined proposals for regular passenger flights to London Southend and Ireland.