Birmingham Airport runway extension ‘could take 6 years’
31.10.08
Birmingham Airport’s long awaited flights to the West Coast of America and China could be delayed six years or longer if the Government calls in a £130m runway extension scheme, the Post reports. The warning was issued by new airport chief executive officer Paul Kehoe in his first public interview since taking the reins.
Mr Kehoe told the newspaper that Government intervention could mean a delay on a decision of up to three years – in advance of an anticipated three-year building programme. But if Solihull Council planning committee members approve the scheme before Christmas – and the Government Office for the West Midlands lets it through – building could be under way as soon as the middle 2009.
He said: ‘It is absolutely critical we get our plans spot on. There is a lot of emotion around this – it is a very important decision. It is critical we get it right. If I was a betting man, I would say we should get planning permission. It makes great sense – but you never know. Nothing is a given – it could be three months, six months, three years.’
Mr Kehoe warned the scheme could be delayed if the Government chose to call in the project for a public inquiry, delaying the airport’s hopes of offering long haul flights to locations such as the US West Coast and China. And he added that a change of administration if the Conservatives took control could throw a spanner in the works, with the potential for the Conservatives to oppose large scale airport expansion.
If the extension is agreed, the runway at the airport will increase from its current 2,600-metre length to 3,000 metres, putting it on a par with the facilities at nearby East Midlands Airport. The runway extension, which has been in the pipeline since 1995, would require around £45m of extensive realignment work to the adjacent A45, plus the provision of a new control tower.
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