The Effects of Expansion

Operational Changes

The Airport wishes to extend their main runway, increasing the useable length by 160m, and demolishing buildings at each end of the runway. This will make it viable for larger business and commercial aircraft to operate from the Airport. If the Airport is equipped to expand it will try to do so – it will have a very large loan to repay. Currently larger planes rarely use the airport but an Airport business plan promises ‘passenger aircraft in the 20-80 seater range.’

The Airport says that these measures are necessary for safety reasons, to comply with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requirements. However, in a statement to Gloucester City Council, the CAA said that they are satisfied that the Airport’s facilities are adequate for it’s current operations. In other words the expansion is not necessary on safety grounds, and the Airport could continue to operate as it is without the proposed developments.

In 2008 there were 80,000 flights at Staverton. The Airport has offered a self imposed limit of 102,000 movements per year, an increase of 25%, plus military, emergency and police flights.

The Airport has proposed opening hours of 6am to 10.30pm, compared with 8.30am to 7.30pm today.

Housing

The prospect of properties losing value due to the expansion is real. So far we have heard of one case where a prospective home-buyer changed their mind because of the potential development at the airport.

Can we claim compensation?

Local Chartered Surveyors and Property Consultants Bruton Knowles have approached local homeowners and offered to help them make ‘Part 1’ compensation claims against Gloucester City Council to compensate for loss in value of properties. They claim that the development will result in extra noise, smell and vibration. Get more information or register interest in making a claim by contacting Bruton Knowles on 01452 880057 or from their website brutonknowles.co.uk.

What about Council Tax?

As well as objecting to the planning applications we also urge residents to write to Councillors alerting them to the need to reconsider the banding of properties should the development proceed.

The House Building Myth

There is a popular myth that, unless the airport expands, the airport could close with the site being covered with houses. Such fears have been fanned by the airport with one of their reports raising the prospect of 11,000 homes on the site! This is a scare story - the land is Green Belt and there is no planning status to permit housing. However, the Airport’s expansion itself could result in much more traffic on local roads and more infrastructure being developed on the site in time.