Written evidence from Indigo Planning on behalf of London Ashford Airport (SMA0050)
Dear Madam
WRITTEN EVIDENCE TO THE TRANSPORT COMMITTEE ON Smaller airports ON BEHALF OF LONDON ASHFORD AIRPORT (LAA) LTD, KENT
We welcome the opportunity to submit written evidence to the Transport Committee’s inquiry on smaller airports.
This evidence focuses on the strategic role of smaller airports in meeting regional demands and how their long-term viability can be supported, based on the experiences at London Ashford Airport (LAA).
Background to LAA
LAA is an existing operational airport located in Lydd, Kent. The Airport has been operating since the 1950s and is an important source of local employment. It currently handles approximately 22,000 aircraft movements a year and acts primarily as a base for general and business aviation, including air taxi and business aviation operations, aircraft maintenance and a flying school.
LAA was granted two planning permissions to expand the Airport in April 2013. This was nearly seven years after the planning applications were submitted to Shepway District Council, and followed an eight month public inquiry. The planning permissions, granted by the Secretaries of State (SoS) for Communities and Local Government and for Transport, allow for the extension of the existing runway (PINs ref: APP/L2250/V/10/2131934) and the construction of a new terminal building capable of processing up to 500,000 passengers per annum (PINs ref: APP/L2250/V/10/2131936). The SoS’s decisions were unsuccessfully challenged by the RSPB and a local objector, and the Airport are currently preparing to implement these consents.
Obviously, promoting the Airport’s expansion plans through the arduous planning system was immensely frustrating and very expensive.
Strategic importance of smaller airports
Smaller airports, such as LAA, have an important strategic role to play in meeting regional demand for capacity. There are many smaller airports, similar to LAA that are underutilised, but have the ability to fulfil both economic and social roles within their catchment areas through:
• employment generation at the airports themselves and through the direct and indirect supply chain, and which stimulates the local economy;
• increased tourism and tourism related expenditure;
• reducing journey times and providing consequential cost savings and environmental benefits;
• inward investment – access to air travel has long been recognised as a key factor in inward investment location decisions; and
• regeneration through investment and economic growth.
It is widely recognised that smaller airports can, and should be, better utilised to help meet the demand of general passenger travel as well as increased commercial travel. In particular in the South East, the Airports Commission promoted their role to relieve the pressure on larger airports. However, this vital contribution will not be realised without explicit policy support. As demand for air travel continues to grow, smaller airports must be a significant part of the solution to the UK’s increasing air capacity crisis.
In the context of LAA, the planned expansion will enable the Airport to make a contribution to, and help deliver, long term economic growth in the area. The Airport will support up to 210 direct jobs and 100 indirect and induced jobs and generate gross added value of approximately £7.5m a year at 500,000 passengers per annum (ppa) to the local economy.
LAA will make efficient use of the additional facilities by accommodating regional and corporate jet traffic, maximising the availability of routes and aircraft choice to operators, and improving the efficiency of aircraft runway operations. LAA can be, and is, also used as a diversion airport, thus contributing to operational efficiency of the South East airport system as a whole.
The planned expansion at LAA, although relatively small in the context of the overall demand for air travel will accommodate up to 500,000 ppa, which will help relieve capacity pressure at Gatwick and Heathrow by catering for short-haul and UK domestic flights.
The recent closure of Manston Airport reinforces the need to support smaller airports in the South East in order to ensure that there can be a holistic, viable and sustainable solution to demand for air travel in the Region.
How to support diversification and longer-term viability of smaller airports
The Government must explicitly recognise that smaller airports can play a vital role in meeting future aviation needs and economic growth of objectives. Policies should be framed to support expansion and investment in the wider context. This includes infrastructure improvements and the diversification of revenue sources, including ancillary (non-aero) sources, through amongst other things attracting associated industries to locate at the airport.
A key to the long term viability of many smaller airports is likely to be improving infrastructure at some stage. The primary constraint to delivering infrastructure improvements is the town planning system and Environmental Regulations. The planning process can be abused by objectors and activists who manipulate it to cause delays and open-ended costs to potential investors, whilst their own costs are capped.
The Government’s future aviation policies should confirm the in-principle support for improving infrastructure at, and supporting the growth of, existing airports. It should set out a presumption in favour of allowing infrastructure improvements at existing airports unless the adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. This will give investors some reassurance that their investment will be considered in a favourable context. The onus should be transferred from an airport having to justify why expansion needs to happen to objectors having to justify why it should not happen. There should also be a full review of permitted development rights for airports, which could provide greater flexibility for smaller airports where the margins of investment are likely to be tighter.
In the context of our experience in seeking to expand LAA, it is clear that any proposals that speed up the planning process and the overall delivery of the necessary infrastructure is to be welcomed. It would also be welcome to strike a more appropriate balance between the legitimate concerns of objectors and the national imperative to develop airport infrastructure and connectivity combined with the need to regenerate the local economy.
For example, despite there being no requirement for noise mitigation, LAA is offering an extensive range of options to address the concerns of objectors, including using a noise preferential flight paths, restricting night flights (which is currently unrestricted), and introducing a Noise Management Plan. The Airport has also gone further than other larger airports by agreeing to a bespoke noise insulation scheme. These measures have been agreed locally and will help to reassure the local community.
Smaller airports often act as a catalyst for inward investment, particularly where a business benefits from being located close to air transport. Supporting more development in proximity to airports will assist in their overall viability. Local enterprise zones (LEZs) would ensure that the benefits of airport investment are passed on to the local economy. Such zones should benefit from a simplified planning process, rates concessions and speed up inward investment and regeneration.
From our experience, the importance of the support of the local authority should not be underestimated. The support of the authority is key to unlocking the potential of small airports.
Conclusion
LAA is a smaller airport with a valuable contribution to make in meeting aviation demands in the South East. The importance of LAA and other smaller airports in the national and local economy should be recognised by Government. It is vital that the long term viability of LAA and other smaller airports is safeguarded by the Government through explicit policy support.
We trust these views will be taken into account during the forthcoming inquiry, and we would welcome the opportunity to provide further evidence on this matter.
Sean McGrath
October 2014