Infrastructure, Construction & Developments

[Ray Finkle]

Thanks for the round up it's definitely exciting stuff and good to see it underway already.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Central Walkway

I've found this picture of the work in progress courtesy of the BRS Twitter link.

Click on any of the pics in the group and the series size is enlarged.

http://ow.ly/i/4Vxfp

 

[TheLocalYokel]

New hangar

In addition to the central walkway (see my previous post for a link to pics of the work in progress) currently under construction at the main terminal building on the north side of the airfield a hangar is being built on the south side next to the Bristol Flying Centre complex.

It seems to be connected to this report.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/busin ... 46207.html

 

[big g]

The walkway has gone up fast over the last few months, the last of the framework connecting the walkway to the existing coaching lounge is now underway and should be complete by the end of the week.

The facia is now going up and the roof is on the part running parallel to the terminal, it won't be long before it's a sealed building.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Many thanks, big g.

I hope to get a slightly closer look when I pass through the airport at the end of the month. I'll see the work from a different angle anyway if nothing more.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

When speaking to the local press this week re the bmi regional/Lufthansa code share news, BRS chief executive Robert Sinclair said they were looking to extend the terminal building in the next two years and improve car parking facilities. He also hopes 'there will be movement' in the next two months on building the long proposed airport hotel.

I thought the next part of the terminal extension might have begun a bit sooner given that an announcement was made well over a year ago about contracts to carry out preparatory work on the western end of the terminal building.

The hotel saga has been dragging on for so many years that without appearing to be too cynical I will believe it when concrete (no pun!) information is put into the public domain. In the meantime BRS continues to be by far the largest UK airport in terms of passengers handled without an onsite hotel.

When passing through BRS this week I had a closer look at the central walkway. It's certainly beginning to take shape and ought to be a very useful facility, particularly at busy times. The downside is that it restricts still more the already extremely limited view of the eastern apron from the departure area.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Has there been any word on a possible operator for the hotel?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Has there been any word on a possible operator for the hotel?

Two or three years ago all systems were go for Pedersen Airport Hotels to select an internationally recognised brand to operate the hotel. This then seemed to falter before disappearing from the radar altogether.

In recent times the airport says it will now take the leading role in establishing the hotel and operator.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Tycoon Sir James Dyson's plane to get its own £2 million Lulsgate hangar

He is worth an estimated £3 billion, so it should come as no surprise that Sir James Dyson has his own personal jet parked at Bristol Airport.

The £40 million Gulfstream jet is ready around the clock to whisk the businessman to any corner of the world at the drop of a hat. And now a £2m hangar is being built to house the plane.

Sir James, the South West's most successful businessman, who made his personal fortune through vacuum cleaners, washing machines and hand-dryers, spends most of his time at his headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

The inventor, engineer and businessman also has a helicopter at his disposal so he can make the 30-mile trip from Wiltshire to Lulsgate within a matter of minutes.

The hangar is being built on the site used by Bristol Flying Club on the opposite side of the runway to the main terminal building. There were plans to build a Royal Mail facility there, but they have been dropped in favour of the hangar.[/textarea]
Full report at: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Jet-set-Ty ... story.html

The hangar is much nearer to completion than the picture in the linked newspaper report suggests. Several months ago someone gave me a cryptic clue as to the identity of the occupier of the hangar that was about to be built which I worked out as the Dyson empire.

The Royal Mail used to operate from a facility on the north side of the airport (where the main terminal is situated) but by the time they pulled out two or three years ago they were down to just two nightly flights, with the rest going by road. I was told that the cost of transferring the facility to the south side was not a viable proposition for Royal Mail.

The south side is becoming quite a sub-centre for the airport with the extended Bristol Flying Centre complex and its associated private charter airline, Centreline, and the Bristol & Wessex Aeroplane Club facility.

 

[alphagolf]

Airport Hotel

On North Somerset Councils Planning website, the is a document published on the 23rd April which is titled the Bristol Airport Hotel Construction Management.

In this document it suggests construction is estimated to commence in July 2014, with construction taking 70 weeks.

Link below:

http://wam.n-somerset.gov.uk/MULTIW...lume4&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Many thanks, alphagolf.

The document is the Construction Management Plan which presumably indicates that all the planning consents for the hotel are now in place. I thought that only outline planning permission had been given but it appears matters have progressed beyond that with an indicated start date of July this year. I must admit that the promised onsite hotel has been going on for so many years that I've not followed progress closely in recent times.

The CMP includes details of various contractors but the main one, or Principle (sic) Contractor as shown in the document, is listed as TBC. I wonder if it's usual in the industry to leave the naming of such a presumably important part of the construction team so late.

It's very positive news, nonetheless, if after so many years on the wish list the hotel actually begins to take shape this year.

 

[superking]

Are they not using the old terminal for admin and a host of other things. If its a july start with hotel, where will the staff relocat to. I am led to think that new offices amongst the planning. So my thoughts are where will the office staff move to, cus im sure new office complex is not built yet.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Are they not using the old terminal for admin and a host of other things. If its a july start with hotel, where will the staff relocat to. I am led to think that new offices amongst the planning. So my thoughts are where will the office staff move to, cus im sure new office complex is not built yet.

The hotel will not be built on the old terminal site.

The airport described it in a press release some time ago as being situated about 100 metres from the terminal building, the current terminal that is. I can't find the specific hotel location on any map of new developments at the airport but it's likely to be in the area where the new admin block and multi-storey car park will eventually be built, just to the north-west of the terminal .

 

[g3jetman]

TheLocalYokel is right and the OTB will remain in use as an admin centre which is due to get an internal facelift very soon. I think you can see the position of the proposed hotel in the main website home page under development plans! Hope this helps you guys.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

TheLocalYokel is right and the OTB will remain in use as an admin centre which is due to get an internal facelift very soon. I think you can see the position of the proposed hotel in the main website home page under development plans! Hope this helps you guys.

Many thanks, g3jetman.

If the old admin building is to get a facelift that would tend to indicate that the expansion in that area is several years down the line.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

For the past few months there's been a striking large advertising hoarding on the approach road to BRS on behalf of one the major contractors appointed to do preparatory work in connection with the terminal extension.

The advert depicted the airport as 'it will be' - very much a giant size version of one of the images on the Planning & Development page of the airport's web site.

I've been told this week that the advertising hoarding no longer features the airport but instead is made of small blocks showing the various projects (most not airport-related) with which the company has been involved. The airport is still there but only as one of a number of projects and consequently takes up only a small proportion of the advert as a whole and is not identified.

I hope this doesn't mean that the terminal expansion is being put on the back burner.

 

[kraktoa]

The central walkway is a hub of activity now. Crews working day and night including weekends for scheduled opening of end of June. Not all windows are in place which means that it is not yet weather proofed and hence interiors and electrics are not done yet. Looks like a building site. I reckoned that there is still 8 weeks of work left but airport adamant that it will be done in 4 weeks.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The central walkway is a hub of activity now. Crews working day and night including weekends for scheduled opening of end of June. Not all windows are in place which means that it is not yet weather proofed and hence interiors and electrics are not done yet. Looks like a building site. I reckoned that there is still 8 weeks of work left but airport adamant that it will be done in 4 weeks.

I shall be interested to get a closer look when I fly from the airport in the next couple of weeks.

 

[alphagolf]

Airport Hotel Update:

Bristol Airport's hotel planning application was granted planning permission on 22nd May 2014

Link: http://wam.n-somerset.gov.uk/MULTIW...lume4&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1

 

[Ray Finkle]

Apologies if they've been posted before but these are the renders of the approved design from the planning app. I like the design but as always it's going to be the quality of materials used that will make or break it.