Boris Island

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Discussion

bad company

Original Poster:

18,484 posts

265 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
We seem to have debating increasing airport capacity for ages while other countries have developed and are leaving us behind. I now read that apart from 'Boris Island' there is another proposal for the Isle of Grain.

Surely the answer is to develop Stansted. There is room to do so and the rail and M11 can be improved to take passengers right into the City. The last time they tried to expand Stansted the authorities were beaten by a loud and very well organised small minority BUT surely the airport has to go somewhere?

98elise

26,376 posts

160 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Grain has always been an option. To me this makes most sense as we have nothing in the south east, its near the HS1 route, and the approach is over water.

AJS-

15,366 posts

235 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Isle of Grain looks like it would be a long, traffic choked way into London, and it's not near HS1 for any link up to be practical.

I would have thought both Gatwick and Stansted could cope with more. I would also think that having more long haul flights from Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow etc might take a bit of the strain off London and also the national transport infrastructure.

greygoose

8,225 posts

194 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
We need a politician with the courage to make a decision rather than endless public enquiries and no progress at all. It could be a long wait.

Rovinghawk

13,300 posts

157 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
98elise said:
we have nothing in the south east.
Gatwick, Stansted, Heathrow, Luton, City................
Northolt for government stuff, too.

Hardly 'nothing'.

greygoose

8,225 posts

194 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Rovinghawk said:
98elise said:
we have nothing in the south east.
Gatwick, Stansted, Heathrow, Luton, City................
Northolt for government stuff, too.

Hardly 'nothing'.
I think he meant southeast of London, as Manston and Lydd haven't really taken off.

bad company

Original Poster:

18,484 posts

265 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
greygoose said:
We need a politician with the courage to make a decision rather than endless public enquiries and no progress at all. It could be a long wait.
Spot on. clap

The Don of Croy

5,976 posts

158 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
I am reminded of the scenes from an Essex pub when the development of Stansted was approved, in the 1980's. On one side were the 'haves' - residents of quaint Essex villages about to despoiled by avgas breathing monsters, on the others 'havenots' - local unemployed blokes or those looking for something other than tractor derived careers. The 'losers' were bitter about their 'loss', but this was more than compensated by the gains...

As the 'haves' often have access to choice (via money) they can/could/should upsticks and find another bucolic haven. Leaving plenty of work/career/chances for many, many 'havenots'.

I'm madly over-simplyfying this, but really north Kent does need an economic boost, as does east London, and it seems the great masses are choosing air travel for business and pleasure in ever-increasing numbers. So we need extra capacity, and building more runways at Gatters or Heathrow is probably not the long term solution.

It's the green option too - no way will EON be allowed to utilise that big coal burning plant just off the end of the runway.

GT03ROB

13,208 posts

220 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
The Don of Croy said:
So we need extra capacity, and building more runways at Gatters or Heathrow is probably not the long term solution.
May be a silly question...but why not?

Existing infrastructure is largely there. Skillbase is there. Businesses are located to take advantage of the 2 airports.

Engineer1

10,486 posts

208 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Why not improve Birmingham Airport and spread some of the load and reduce the whole concentration of big international airports in the south.

The Don of Croy

5,976 posts

158 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
GT03ROB said:
The Don of Croy said:
So we need extra capacity, and building more runways at Gatters or Heathrow is probably not the long term solution.
May be a silly question...but why not?

Existing infrastructure is largely there. Skillbase is there. Businesses are located to take advantage of the 2 airports.
I think it's down to moving x zillion inhabitants who are within the area affected by noise/pollution, as defined by current and future environmental standards.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Obviously this is all pie in the sky and won't happen.

However if the unthinkable did happen and they actually built this, what effect would it have on the surrounding areas, particularly house prices?

I don't live a million miles away from there.

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Engineer1 said:
Why not improve Birmingham Airport and spread some of the load and reduce the whole concentration of big international airports in the south.
It's not about spreading the load, we already have that around London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Southend, Manston even Southampton/Bournemouth). It's about creating a super-hub. Heathrow was the original worldwide super-hub, catering for flights from every corner of the globe. The problem is now that as more major airports develop around the world, direct flights cannot be added as the slots are full. Therefore these new airports link to places with capacity, currently being CDG/AMS/FRA.

So if you're a new Chinese factory with goods everyone wants in XYZville, and XYZville airport is connected to Frankfurt but not London, where will you build your EMEA headquarters? Even if Brum is connected to XYZville - the HQ will be build in Frankfurt.

GT03ROB

13,208 posts

220 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Engineer1 said:
Why not improve Birmingham Airport and spread some of the load and reduce the whole concentration of big international airports in the south.
Probably because that gets away from the UK having a hub airport like Amsterdam & Paris. This also strengthens the position of Paris or Amsterdam.

StevieBee

12,795 posts

254 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
What puzzles me on all this is that I do a fair amount on international business and travel quite a bit via the three main London hubs and equally have associates incoming to the UK via the same.

I've never heard them and nor have I ever had cause to mention how difficult it is getting to or from the UK via the air. I've never chosen a region in which to work based upon whether I can get a direct flight or not - though this is of course desirable.

I recognise that that airports are at capacity which can cause issues when there's a delay but is this really as bad as is being made out?

If you throw in Luton Southend and City Airports, London has 6 that can surely be worked more efficiently than they are. Or is this too simplistic?

MarshPhantom

9,658 posts

136 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Boris Island is a ludicrous plan, why spend an absolute fortune on an airport in the sea that will be about 70 miles from London? They may as well develop Manston.


collateral

7,238 posts

217 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
I love the Boris Island because it's obviously been invented as a hilariously crap option - only thought up so they can find lots of 'unforseen problems' and then turn around and expand the existing airports like they've wanted to all along

Rovinghawk

13,300 posts

157 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Engineer1 said:
Why not improve Birmingham Airport and spread some of the load and reduce the whole concentration of big international airports in the south.
I thought we are doing so- six extra plane parking bays with associated infrastructure, 400m runway extension, that sort of thing. Also improvements to the railway station there.

It might not sound too dramatic but bear in mind it's a relatively small site.
As for why Brum & not yet more in London, consider proximity to the NEC & good road/rail links from there.

12v3pot

5,135 posts

134 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
Pfft.

The answer is Southend (the only time Southend has been the correct answer to any question ever posed).

Having spent the money on the new train station HMG could also upgrade the existing and well-used line for a 30-min rail link to central London.

budgie smuggler

5,359 posts

158 months

Tuesday 16th July 2013
quotequote all
12v3pot said:
Pfft.

The answer is Southend (the only time Southend has been the correct answer to any question ever posed).

Having spent the money on the new train station HMG could also upgrade the existing and well-used line for a 30-min rail link to central London.
Unfortunately the road infrastructure is dire and already very busy.