Decision on Alderney Airport could be taken tomorrow
ALL eyes in Alderney are now on Guernsey’s Policy & Resources Committee as it prepares to discuss the final estimated cost of redeveloping the northern isle’s airport.
A final quote has been received from the preferred contractor, after weeks of negotiations with the States’ Trading Supervisory Board.
A decision about whether to go ahead with the project or refer it back to the States Assembly will be made by P&R imminently, possibly as soon as tomorrow.
‘P&R can confirm it has received formal notification from the STSB, which it has fast-tracked for consideration at its next committee meeting,’ said a spokesman for the senior committee.
‘It would be premature to comment further before the matter has been considered by the committee and also communicated with the Policy & Finance Committee in Alderney.’
STSB, which operates the airport, has been working with the unnamed company to improve its original tender price, which was widely understood to have been well above the estimated project cost of £24m. approved by the States of Guernsey in December 2022. The final quote has not yet been revealed.
‘P&R is the main policy driving committee for this project, which is why they led the initial policy letter on the matter,’ said STSB president Peter Roffey.
‘Accordingly, it is for P&R to consider the next steps and how best to take this project forward.
‘Of course, STSB looks forward to continued involvement and consultation, but it is right that we now await the outcome of P&R’s considerations.’
The States of Alderney and STSB would like P&R to make a swift decision about its next steps on the project.
Proposals for a new terminal and fire station, alongside the reconstruction and extension of the runway, were backed by deputies 18 months ago.
But successive presidents of P&R, Deputies Peter Ferbrache and Lyndon Trott, have said they are open to the project being re-debated by the States Assembly, especially if the cost cannot be contained within the original budget.
The project received final planning approval recently when it was backed by Alderney’s Building & Development Control Committee.
Alderney’s runway was last resurfaced substantially 25 years ago. In 2019, deputies approved a £12.2m. scheme to rehabilitate the runway, but that project was replaced by the current plans for a larger redevelopment.
Earlier this month, Deputy Roffey said the summer months of next year were now the most likely construction period, if the project goes ahead as planned following the end of the tender process.
