Extending runway ‘would not be a game changer’
PART of St Peter’s would probably need to be ‘razed to the ground’, if the airport runway was extended in line with recommendations from consultants PwC, Policy & Resources vice president Lyndon Trott told the Assembly.
He went on to tell members that P&R would not support any further work to investigate this idea.
P&R had already seen the report by PwC and had passed them on to relevant committees prior to preparing a policy letter, he said.
But while the report on strengthening air links infrastructure recommended the extension of the runway, he said P&R would not back this. ‘The Policy & Resources Committee has reached the conclusion that the option of extending the airport runway will not be a game changer in respect of our connectivity,’ he said.
Were the idea to progress, the next step would be for a ‘huge and complex planning inquiry’ and ‘enormous investment on which there may never be a return’.
Deputy Trott said that he did not believe the community had the appetite for spending what could be some £600,000 on this investigatory work.
He also pointed out that the States’ Trading Supervisory Board is looking at changing the runway end safety area which would in effect extend the runway.
‘The future of our air links cannot be reduced to a discussion of runway extensions.’
Economic Development president Charles Parkinson asked for confirmation that members would be asked to reject the idea of further investigating the runway extension without financial information, and Deputy Trott said that investing ‘very substantial’ sums to carry out further investigation would be the next step.
He said that frequency could be adversely affected by larger aircraft being used.
The community wanted cheaper fares, but did not want to see connectivity plummet.
Comment Page 28
