600 homes to finally get £1,500 compensation for building of Manchester 2nd runway
Nearly 600 homeowners and 6 schools in Knutsford and Mobberley are to get a pay out for the building of Manchester Airport’s 2nd runway. This will come from the airport’s owner, the Manchester Airports Group. The householders say claimed their properties were devalued due to the noise from the planes since the runway opened in 2001. The schools will get £1,300 each. This has been brokered by local MP, the Chancellor George Osborne, and Jeff Gazzard. Two years ago 300 Knutsford and Mobberley residents were compensated. This is the final compensation and the end of an 11 year battle. The total payout comes to £1 million. The airport will also pay the council tax precept, £117,702. which is levied to fund Knutsford town council and Mobberley parish council, for one year.
Tweet
15 June 2012 (BBC)
Homes to get Manchester Airport runway compensation
Nearly 600 homeowners and six schools in Knutsford and Mobberley are to get a pay out for the building of Manchester Airport’s second runway.
The householders, who claimed their properties were devalued due to the noise from the planes since the runway opened in 2001, will get £1,500 each.
Six local schools will also receive £1,300 each from the airport’s owner The Manchester Airports Group.
Two years ago 300 Knutsford and Mobberley residents were compensated.
Five hundred and eighty-three households are to receive payments under the deal brokered by local MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Jeff Gazzard, from the Manchester Airport Environment Network.
“It is a very acceptable final line to draw under second runway compensation,” said Mr Gazzard.
‘Legal inequity’
Roisin Moores, head teacher of St Vincent de Paul Primary in Knutsford, who speaks on behalf of the six schools affected, said the runway had had a marked impact on teaching.
“You can always guarantee that there will be a certain time in the day when you have to stop talking in the classroom,” she said.
A Manchester Airports Group statement said: “The legal process for Runway two claims formally concluded in 2010.
“However, since then, George Osborne MP and Jeff Gazzard have presented us with a convincing case which showed inequity in the legal process.
“We’ve now agreed with them a final package of benefits as a goodwill payment.
“We hope that this demonstrates our commitment to work with our local communities and finally draws a line under this process.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-18452069
Airport pays £1million in compensation to entire village after noise and fumes slashed value of their properties… but that’s just £1,500 for each household
- 583 homeowners will receive £1,500 each because house prices have been hit
- Payout marks the end of an 11-year battle over the second runway
- Chancellor George Osborne, who us the local MP, said it is a ‘good outcome’ for homeowners
By ROB COOPER
15.6.2012 (Daily Mail)
Hundreds of homeowners will share £1million compensation from Manchester Airport after noise and fumes from a second runway slashed the value of their homes.
Nearly 600 homeowners will receive £1,500 each – 11 years after the runway first opened in 2001.
The payout marks the end of the long-running legal battle which has seen the airport pay out more than £9million compensation.
The airport will also pay the council tax precept, which is levied to fund Knutsford town council and Mobberley parish council, for one year.
This will be worth £117,702 in total – and will benefit every household in the area. Six local state schools will also receive a £1,300 one-off payment after the deal was struck.
Chancellor George Osborne, whose Tatton constituency covers the area, said the compensation payout was a ‘good outcome’ for property owners.
Airport chiefs had said they would not hand out any more cash because a legal time-limit for claims had passed.
Campaigners from the Manchester Airport Environment Network, led by Knutsford resident Jeff Gazzard, and Mr Osborne held talks with airport bosses to try and secure a fresh pay out to those who had not submitted claims before the 2010 deadline.
Pollution: Homeowners in Knutsford and Mobberley, which is to the south of Manchester, pictured, have campaigned over the second runway for 11 years
Mr Osborne said: ‘Years of hard campaigning have finally paid off. I want to thank local people for their support and Jeff Gazzard for all his work – he has been a star. At last we have a fair deal for local communities.’
Mr Gazzard welcomed the compensation settlement – and said it would end a decade of campaigning.
‘It’s an acceptable deal,’ he added. ‘We were totally reliant on the airport’s good will because legal timeframes for compensation had passed so this was a fair solution.
‘I don’t think it is tokenistic but some people may be a little disappointed at the amount – they probably wanted a little more. We’ve taken extreme care to get this right and this now draws a line under the second runway issue.’
A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: ‘The legal process for Runway 2 claims formally concluded in 2010. However, since then, George Osborne MP and Jeff Gazzard have presented us with a convincing case which showed inequity in the legal process.
‘We have now agreed with them a final package of benefits as a goodwill payment.
‘We hope that this demonstrates our commitment to work with our local communities as a responsible business and finally draws a line under this process.’
Earlier:
15 July 2010
Lawyers agree over Manchester Airport second runway
They claim that their quality of life and houses prices were diminished by additional flightpath noise. An airport spokesman said it was committed to working with residents to work out individual claims.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-10656179
Airport may face more claims for compensation
Exclusive by Alice McKeegan September 11, 2010
Manchester Airport could be hit with more compensation claims – just weeks after agreeing a multi-million pound payout. In July, the M.E.N. revealed bosses reached a compensation package – over properties devalued by noise and fumes – with more than 330 residents of Mobberley and Knutsford in Cheshire, who lodged claims over the second runway. Now campaigners have warned that another 700 homes could have claims and have promised to support them if they decide to pursue legal action. The airport will not give details of the compensation already paid, but campaigners say it is between £5m-£9m. It is understood that not all householders received the same amount. The size of the payouts was determined by property value and closeness to the flight path. Link to article
Families ready for take off in runway battle
slashed the value of homes near Manchester Airport is to be heard in court. More
than 200 householders have lodged compensation claims over the airport’s 2nd runway,
which opened in 2002. If all the claims are successful, the total bill could
be up to £9m. The hearing is expected to take place over several days in September.
(Manchester Evening News) Click here to view full story…
Mixed response to airport compensation deal
21.7.2010
KNUTSFORD and Mobberley residents have given a mixed response to the news that Manchester Airport has agreed a deal with solicitors over the creation of the second runway.
In last week’s Guardian, Hugh James solicitors, acting on behalf of homeowners in the area, revealed they had reached an agreement with Manchester Airport over compensation for those who have seen the price of their homes affected in the wake of the construction of Runway Two.
Homeowners have contacted the Guardian to express their feelings about the agreement, but have not wished to disclose their names in case it harms their position in relation to receiving the money.
“After all this time I am upset, I just thought when I read in the Guardian that the residents were happy, someone is telling them a bit of a story – no way am I happy.
“The letter told us to sign within 10 days or you can go and fight it on your own.
Jeff Gazzard, Knutsford resident and aviation campaigner, told the Guardian that the agreement could open compensation for people not originally part of the Hugh James group.
“It is important to find out if there are any confidential agreements, and I know a couple of the claimants who will be interested to know,” he said.
“I believe the airport should offer to pay for who was in a house in the area before the runway opened.”
If anyone has any queries regarding the compensation deal the airport has asked them to call Hugh James on 029 2022 4871
http://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/8283675.Mixed_response_to_airport_compensation_deal/
Residents demand compensation over night flights switch at Manchester Airport
6.1.2011
Residents are demanding compensation over night-time flights being switched during runway work at Manchester airport. A £20m refurbishment of the main runway has started, closing it at night for eight months. But people living near Runway Two claim their sleep patterns will be disturbed because night-time take-offs and landings are being moved there until September. The huge programme of work to overhaul Runway One started this week. It is the biggest ever refurbishment of the runway since the airport opened in 1938 but chiefs have stressed that passengers will not be affected. Now, Knutsford resident and airport campaigner Jeff Gazzard has hit out at the airport’s handling of the closure and called on bosses to pay compensation to those affected. Link to article