Open meeting gag dismays runway project protesters
Saturday 15th October 2011, 2:30PM BST.
Hotelier Carlo Stefani, left, and Forest vice-dean Dave Gorvel with Jill Klimaschewski about to hand in her petition against an airport project worker village near the Mallard. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 1188841)
AIRPORT project opponents will struggle to keep silent during Environment’s ‘gagged’ open planning meeting, campaigners said.
A petition signed by more than 250 western parish residents was yesterday submitted to the department in an attempt to make the political board think twice about aspects of the £80.4m. development.
Many had hoped the application would be the island’s first open planning meeting at which members of the public would be permitted to speak.
But those attending will have to take a vow of silence while planners recommend to the board the approval of the States’ biggest-ever financial project.
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Not in my back yard!….
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N’ afterwards doubtless housing development along with States Housing around the corner on the green field site then ruined by Limestone and asphalt waste pollution.
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Another storm brewing. Disaster from start to finish. Still never mind soon be Christmas.
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A real open meeting should be held by the people of the Island after the gagged meeting is over and then posted on You Tube. A recording of the comments made inside the so called “open meeting” being held by these smug people can be used to establish what is being suggested and who is saying what.
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Where are their pictures and video projections showing how high the ILS will be at plaisance road, something else hidden from public view ! there is a simulated video of how the western end will lok, after infill, roads and hedges gone etc, this is made by PSd/Digimap, and is shown as a link on the anti airport campaign on facebook, however it cannot be found on the states website or on any airport propaganda, either on paper or online. This, IMO, is another blatant attepmt for the states to keep the public in the dark until it is too late to do anything .
On the same note, it is interesting to see that the press, which is known for getting info from social networking sites, have not seemed to look into this.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10150244122772838
not sure if the link will work,but google facebook guernsey airport campaign, and scroll down to the post from july 29th to se the video in its full length.
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@Fieldmouse
“however it cannot be found on the states website or on any airport propaganda, either on paper or online. This, IMO, is another blatant attepmt for the states to keep the public in the dark until it is too late to do anything”
There was a news story in the Guernsey Press when the planning application was submitted which referred to the full Environmental Impact Assessment being available online at http://www.gov.gg/airport2040. I accessed that to look at it, and there is the video.
Not sure how that amounts to a blatant attempt to hide it. Telling the Guernsey Press where to find it is not a great cover-up! Whether you bothered to do what I did, and go and seek the information, is another matter altogether.
Sigh.
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Hey, Fieldmouse, nice attempt to sully the PSD communications effort, but sorry to disappoint:
http://gov.gg/ccm/navigation/public-services/guernsey-airport/airport-2040/environmental-impact-assessment/
Look to the right and you’ll find the fly through link. Which includes the ILS.
Not to mention loads of other info about the project. Which of course, people like you call propoganda.
Tell me, how could PSD win? If they said nothing, they’d be accused of secrecy etc. When they do say something, it’s propoganda.
Tell me also, what WOULD satisfy you and your ilk?
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I’ll still be using that lane they’re filling in, even if I have to go through the airport runway I’m going to still use it!
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It strikes me that as an island Guernsey needs an airport. It’s not just a luxury. It also strikes me that as the airport has been there for 70 years most of those now complaining should have noticed their proximity to it when they bought their houses.
There will of course be disruption whilst the works take place then suddenly all the workers will go away and you’ll hardly notice the difference.
It’s tough but you’ll just have to find a way to cope for a couple of years.
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@ Hello
“suddenly all the workers will go away and you’ll hardly notice the difference”.
Except for a massive valley infill at the Western end of the runway with the loss of ancient hedgerows, trees and natural habitat, large security fences running alongside Plaisance road for the length of the new perimeter and a huge ILS gantry in what is now a field.
I think people may notice that.
The runway needs resurfacing and taxiways and drainage need upgrading (which will cause disruption); the rest is a legacy which will be felt for generations largely down to poor decisions taken by PSD and the total arrogance of the both the PSD and Environment ministers.
I am not an airport neighbour.
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Hello
The construction phase will of course be a disruptive time and for many it could be a very serious level of disruption with batching plants next door working flat out all day and night. But what is being offered to these people to mitigate the worst effects of the work? Black out curtains, sound insulation, dust masks?
However, as Limpit points out, you seem to have forgotten the legacy this project will leave. Loss of green belt, hedgerows, bio-diversity, increased noise and light pollution for many and new farmhouse sized structures. I am an airport neighbour and it didn’t need to be this bad.
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Surprise
Mt Stefani complaining
Nothing to do with the fact that the contractors decided their workers would be better off in wooden sheds rather than paying high prices to stay at Mr Stefani’s flea pit of a hotel
Perhaps if you had made a decent offer then you would have got the business
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i can’t see the necessity to lengthen the runway. if an airline can’t get its aircraft in because the runway isn’t long enough well tough! Give the route to an airline who can do it in 4800 feet. Sounds like the States are pandering to the requirements of one particular airline!
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phuketrex,
The runway is NOT being lengthened, it is being moved 120m west and the runway end safety areas are being extended to meet with Civil Aviation Authority standards (the people who allow our airport to operate).
No wonder the PSD don’t take any notice of all the people bleating about this development, most of those complaining the most have not even bothered to properly research what is going to be done!
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Can we put an the incinerator in the western parishes too? Makes a lot of sense. About time they got their fair share of infrastructure.
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There has not been one accident on the runway caused by it, and the CAA can not carry out a risk assesment because of this. It does need resurfacing but the cows belly or middle of runway does not need leveling. This is where the 350,000 ton s by 28,000 lorries is needed.
The only fatal accident was the Channel Express at Forest road.
It is interesting that the 28,000,25 ton lorries going from Lougue Hougue to airport back to town and the 21,000 other ones are estimated to only cause 1.5 road repairs.
That is without the damage to walls, banks and property on the route.
This could be the overspend of overspends and we still need in the next 5 years 200 million to prop up zero- 10, 100 million for the Harbour,40 million for Les Beauchanp and 70 million for the Waste Strategy. I make that 470 million and we have 265 million in rainy day fund and 110 million in cash reserve.
I feel a little bit of loaning and getting into debt comming along.
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Limpit
We won’t be losing any natural habitat. We will be losing the totally artificial roads, fields and hedgerows.
Kevin, both sides of the runway length debate are sort of correct
If you define runway as the strip of tarmac designated as a landing area then it isn’t extending ( much )
If you define runway as the total area of tarmac, including the bits not designated as a landing area, then it is…..
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Edquet,
The CAA has set requirements for runway end safety areas amongst other things and our airport does not currently meet those criteria.
The fact that there has not been a fatal accident on our runway is an extremely poor argument for not carrying out the necessary modications, have never heard the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’?
One day you might be thankful that the runway ends have extended as you shoot towards the end of the runway in poor visibility and pouring rain having touched down late!
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What ever you do, if you made it twice the width or go down as far as L’Eree, it will not stop accidents.
If you have acopy of the CAA report on what we have to on the runway. could you publish it.
This project with the levelling could end up like the New Getty, which started at 4 million and finished 14 million over budjet.
I want the runway resurfaced, but we only have a certain amount of money and it has to be spent properly.
The project is 80 million, but only 1.5 milion for all the truck damage is allowed. If you talk to people in the haulage industry (ask Dave Jones) if the figure should be nearer 25 million.
Lagan has put this quote ( 50m) in without checking on accomodation (They checked Manor on Sept 8th 2011).So how can you put in a quote when you are working on a costing of, i believe £320,000 for the two years and do not how much or where they will go.
This could cost over 100 million and if the job is half or thre quarter done you have to continue.
As I said before ” I feel a large overspend comming on)and this Island can not in the present economic situation ( here and around the world) and with other needs can not make and afford to make the same mistakes.
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@ Kevin
The changes at the Western end (bar a clipping on the corner are to the maximun CAA RESA length, that is the same standard as for Heathrow!
There is a range between minimun and maximun, there is no justification for making the changes to meet the maximun RESA length at the Western end.
This is an over specificed and unjustified project that the Island can not afford, but because of spin it has been pushed through.
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@Guern abroad
Heathrow has a very long runway. Guernsey has a very short runway. Question for you – Is an aircraft more likely to over-run a long runway or a short runway? That I suggest is an important consideration in deciding how long the run-off areas should be.
Another question. You refer to RESA lengths, and then go on to say that this is an overspecified project that the Island cannot afford. So how much of the cost of this project is associated with the RESAs? You refer to spin, so let’s have your facts please.
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The whole thing about the state of repair I feel has been used to push the voting through. There has been no flexibility in looking at changes that have occured since the original options were crafted.
Heathrow has jombo jets (bigger/heavier), a longer runway is therefore needed anyway before adding on the RESA lenght so all aspects are magnified. Yet we have a shorter runway because Guernsey supports smaller/lighter aircraft yet still has the maximun proposed RESA length for the Western end.
You can never account for every eventuality for every thing. Risk probability should be a measured and proven calculation.
There are aspects of this project that I see as being over specified. Due to the nature of how the costs were shown in the glossy brochures it would be impossible to pick out individual elements.
I imagine that displacing and leveling the runway and infilling a valley account for a fair sum.
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