Airport Consultative Committee [Questions & Responses]

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

]So the Support Group now is nothing more than a name really which allows us to continue to attend the meetings and speak on behalf of Joe Public and all you guys out there who support the airport. The Group could easily grow to include others if action was required to demonstrate support. I suppose all that would be required is for myself and Chris to agree to specific individuals being co-opted on. Really, the only reason for having such a name is that it enabled us to approach the Airport as an organised group to see what we could do.

I have purchased the domain name http://www.LBASG.org which will be up and running shortly. I respect that Chris and your good self are the founders of the group and with that in mind I will let you use the domain however you choose. For the time being, the domain will link directly to the thread "Leeds Bradford Airport Support Group" on the UK Airport Forum for Leeds Bradford unless someone else would like to build a 'professional' dedicated website, then I can make it link up with that.


etc etc.... The system cloaks your own personal e-mail address so that it doesn't enter the public domain. As an addition, I have made a logo for the group. I've kept it bright and simple, so people can remember it.

What is the groups mission statement?

 

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

The domain name is now operational if people want to spread the word!! As I pointed out before, the link goes direct to the Airport Support Group thread on here.

 

[empire]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Regarding the LBASG site:

"This website is currently out of operation due to a dispute."

What's all that about?

 

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

As people will be aware, White Heather and Chris are on the airport committee as official members of the LBASG (Leeds Bradford Airport Support Group).

Over the bank holiday weekend I sent lbaspotter a PM message informing him that it was imperative that White Heather and Chris are kept involved throughout each stage of setting up an official website for LBASG. This is primarily because as officials of the LBASG, setting up a website could have the potential of making their position on the committee untenable if it isn't setup and conducted properly.

lbaspotter has gone ahead with lbasg a little bit 'on a tangent' using the design that I made by without asking and without any consultation with people that need to be involved such as White Heather.

This morning at around 03:50 I deactivated his account until such time as I receive clarification that he is going to involve people such as White Heather and people on here.

The sooner lbaspotter clarifies his position then the sooner we can get this show back on the road.

1.We need White Heather to agree that is acceptable for us to open the site using the LBASG name.

2. We need to agree the content of the site so it is acceptable to the committee members (and supporters of the site on here)

3. Agreement on how the website can be used to attract publicity.

 

[lbaspotter]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Hi all

We have now come to a conclusion that suites us all now. Well i think we have? If not please get back to me as soon as possiable. With this news the LBASG Website should hopefully be relaunched online sometime tomorrow evening, (Wednesday 06/05/09)

Thanks go to Aviador and White Heather with their help to resolve this matter in a quick and reasonable way.

Regards

Ross

 

[White Heather]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

I have had a message from LBAspotter which included the proposals for the web site, and I have replied to him requesting a number of amendments to it, which he has agreed to do. I have also discussed the proposed web site with Chris who is my co-founder of the Support Group, and asked that he comes to look at the revised web site once it is ready. We have already discussed its existance, and as Aviador has mentioned, one of our key issues is how it will be used. We have built up a solid relationship with the Airport (going back to the 1980's) and they seem to value our input, so we have to be sure that nothing is done which prejudices that position.

With that in mind I have asked that the web site explains that we have a presence on the Consultative Committee, and that members can ask us to raise questions via that meeting, which we have done, and will continue to do. What we can't have is anyone writing to anyone or taking part in something under the name of the Support Group, as that would be traced back to Chris and myself, and of course we wouldn't know anything about it. So, the web site has to be something that generates interest in the Support Group and invites people to make their feelings on airport issues known to the right people, (or to us),but it has to be in their own name. If there are to be any official 'Airport Support Group' representations made, they would have to be via myself and/or Chris.

This might sound rather draconian, but over the years we have had a number of people who have claimed to represent or be a member of the Support Group (who weren't) and they have, shall we say, opened their mouths without thinking, and clearly, it is imperative that nothing is said or done which causes offence or upset to the Airport, their staff, and even Councillors who turn down airport terminal extensions. There are ways of saying things, which we have learned the hard way over the years.

I hope that helps explain. LBAspotter is now working on the amendments and when I receive the revised web site I will discuss it with Chris and we will take it from there.

 

[User0001]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Is this going ahead on Thursday 16th as planned?

 

[White Heather]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Yes it is. I now have the agenda, but apart from some of the regular info regarding ATC issues, there is nothing significant on the agenda apart from an update on the terminal development application, which I suspect is what all of us are keen to hear about!

 

[Bigman]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

So presumably if the council knock the whole scheme back, there is nothing to stop Bridgepoint stripping out the existing buildings and remodelling internally, as long as there are no new external structures. Might be a cheaper option as well. You could still build a new mezzanine level about Hall A to become a new central screening zone, and also turn the upstaits cafe into airside aswell.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Hopefully it wont come to that this time fingers crossed!

 

[backtrack]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

I hope so too, and its long overdue.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Yes they could do that Bigman, but can you imagine the chaos ensuing from them attempting to do something on a major scale within the terminal, whist continuing to operate. It would be total nightmare and quite honestly, the cost could end up higher than building the extension. The result might evetually be better but it would still be inadequate. You can't get a quart into a pint pot as my Dad used to say, but basically that is what you would be trying to do. For every square metre of additional public area, they would lose the same space for other uses, and last time I looked around there wasn't any areas of the terminal that were not in use. So something would have to give. Like the rest of you, I hope it doesn't come to that.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

A question for the next meeting White Heather, well, two questions infact. :smile:

Firstly when is the development work going to commence? I have been told "the winter" but do they have a more accurate timescale for the planned work?

Secondly, When does the airport plan to officially announce phase 2 and could it be brought forward because of the likelihood that it will encounter the same sort of delays that phase 1 has encountered?

 

[White Heather]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Hi Aviador

Will do - but the next meeting is not scheduled now until 30 October, by which time I suspect we may know the answer to your first question. As for the 2nd question, Phase 2 is not going to happen until the airport hits 5.8m passenger throughput as far as I know - this is something that is clarified within the Planning Officer report, where I am sure it is mentioned. However, I will try and check up.

 

[empire]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Section 4.56:

"At 4.5mppa the airport have committed in the legal agreement to submitting a planning application and TA
for Phase 2 of the terminal building improvements to facilitate an abnnual passenger throughput in excess of 5mppa."

From certain angles this could possibly be perceived as a pseudo passenger cap on Phase 1 of the development.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions

Just looked it up myself, and yes, 4.5 m pax is the trigger for Phase 2, as posted by Empire. In the current climate, I reckon that could be about 5 years away yet unless Mr O Leary decides to come and stay with some of his Ryanair fleet.

I agree Empire - once the 'new' terminal reaches capacity, expect a battle royal over Phase 2. If we think this was a tough fight, the next one will be much worse, particularly if, by then, there remains no sign of the tram train link and a major link road to the airport from the Leeds Ring Road. Effectively, by turning down Phase 2, LCC will restrict further growth. Rightly or wrongly, Aviation CO2 will probably be even more under scrutiny by then. I only hope that somewhere within the newly expanded terminal, they are allowing a bit of rattle room to expand into if required, without the need to seek planning consent, because I think they may well need it when the time comes.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions [LBASG]

For the followers of LBASG I have removed the link to the website as we have achieved our goal of securing the LBA terminal expansion. Should we require the site again in the future I will return the link from here.

In the meantime, please feel free to forward any questions about the airport to White Heather here.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions [LBASG]

Heather, did Chris manage to attend the meeting last week? Any update?

 

[Bigman]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions [LBASG]

Has anything else been said about the improvement in bus routes?

 

[White Heather]

Re: Consultative Committee Questions [LBASG]

No, Chris didn't go unfortunately, due to prior engagements. It is almost always myself these days and as I was unable to get the time off work this time, I will not be able to provide any updates until the minutes come - which could be very soon - or could be next year!! You just never know how long they will take these days. At least we knew when it was the Local Authority that it would take at least 3 months!!

Any information that comes to me, I will post on here.