An email I have sent to all the councillors tonight , Durham, Darlington, Stockton,Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Redcar . Dear Councillor, I urge you to read the two following news items one from the Evening Gazette in 2003 and the other from the Northern Echo in 2006. Peel Holdings have now presented a new master plan for the airport to the public which, amongst other things, provides for the sale of airport land for up to 400 houses close to the existing terminal and makes promises about the future of the airport. A planning application will be made to Darlington Council shortly. Judge for yourself how successful Peel has been in running the airport and in achieving its stated objectives. Look at how much investment (as opposed to simply supporting revenue losses) this £6.6 billion company has actually made in the airport. Your Council is a shareholder in the airport and it is responsible to the council tax payers. Are you happy with what Peel has done to the airport so far? If not then you should surely say so to your fellow members and officers of your council and try to get something done about it. You should certainly not go along with the master plan and the planning application that will follow it. Peel does not seem to have lived up to its promises in the past and one has to wonder whether it will do so in the future. It has recently been announced that a “Growth Deal” has been signed with Tees Valley Unlimited to “trigger £90 million of investment in the area to revitalise the local economy” A thriving regional airport offering services that the majority of people, your voters, want rather than just a few business flights would make a huge contribution to the local economy both directly and indirectly. It may be worthwhile using part of this fund to buy back the airport and put it in the hands or someone who cares about the local community. The danger is that it may be used to prop up Peels continuing ownership of the airport as public funds have been used in the past , with little or no benefit in return. I understand that part of this money has already been earmarked to pay for a road to the south side of the airport where Peel has planning consent for £1.9 million square feet of development. Peel has said in its master plan that the sale of airport land for housing to raise £20 million pay for that. Building a road to open land for 1.9 million square feet of development should in fact be a pre-development cost that could easily be recouped from the income derived from this development and should not need public funds at all. At the very least the money for the road should be a loan to be refunded once development of the south side begins, although why a company with £6.6 BILLION of assets should need a loan at all is baffling, and if the loan is paid then the plan to sell airport land for housing should be dropped. If you want to find out what local people really think about the airport take Peels Public Relations statements about 70% of the public being “broadly in favour” of the new master plan. Looking at the number of people who bothered to respond those who were “broadly in favour” numbered just 91. Have a look at my facebook page “SAVE Teesside Airport” instead and you will find over 4,500 people liking the page and expressing their views. Yours sincerely, Evening Gazette January 7th 2003 “We have take-off on #20m deal at airport Teesside International Airport is preparing for a multi-million pound take-off, it was announced today. The #20m investment in the airport is set to be made over the next five years. Passenger numbers using the airport are expected to double to 1.5m within the same period. And with the development of the airport and commercial developments on the airports Southside around 2,000 jobs could be created. The projected figures are among aspirations of a major strategic partnership deal which could be forged with Peel Airports - part of Manchester-based Peel Holdings, which already runs the fast-growing Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The airports role in helping regeneration efforts across the area is seen as a priority by Peel Airports. Peel will be working with the local authority shareholders to bring forward development of commercial property at the airport, including the regionally important Southside site, in addition to the operational business of the airport. The announcement came today that the company had been chosen by the airports local authority shareholders - Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool and Durham County councils - as the preferred bidder to become the strategic partner in the airports long-term development. A committee made up of council shareholders announced detailed negotiations would now be held with Peel Holdings. They aim to reach a final agreement by March. Councillor Bob Gibson, leader of Stockton Council, speaking on behalf of the shareholder authorities, said they were impressed with the level of investment and expertise which the company was prepared to commit to Teesside International - coupled with its strong track record in the transportation and property development fields. Manchester-based Peel Holdings owns Liverpool John Lennon Airport - the fastest growing airport in the UK. It has plans for the development of a new commercial airport on the site of the former Finningley airfield near Doncaster. It also owns the Manchester Ship Canal and its property portfolio includes the huge Trafford Centre shopping and leisure complex in Manchester. The final shape of the partnership between the local authority shareholders and Peel Holdings is subject to continuing detailed discussions over the coming weeks. It is, however, expected it will result in a minimum investment of #20m in the development and improvement of Teesside International over the next five years. Under the proposals, Peel Holdings will acquire a majority shareholding in the airport, but the local authorities will retain a significant interest in the company and will be involved in its continuing development. Cllr Gibson said: We stressed we were looking for potential partners who could demonstrate they had the resources to deliver the required investment, together with experience of public and private partnerships and the workings of the airport industry. Peel Holdings certainly meets all those criteria. It has an impressive track record in the development of many major projects across the North of England, including, of course, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which has gone from strength to strength since the company became involved with it five years ago. Councillor Ken Hall, chairman of the airport board, said: It has been made clear to us that, if we can successfully conclude an agreement, investment in upgrading Teesside International could start virtually straight away. This will enable the airport to provide the quality of terminal and other facilities which will attract both a much wider range of services and greatly increased passengers numbers. We believe the appointment of Peel Holdings as a strategic partner would be in the interests of the airport, its customers, staff - and the economic future of our area. Hugh Lang, the airports managing director, said: The local authorities, supported by the airport management, began the process of securing a private sector strategic partner because we believed it was the most viable option for securing the levels of investment needed for the key projects which will enable the airport to maximise its own potential - and contribute to the regeneration of the communities its serves. Robert Hough, chairman of Peel Airports, said: Teesside International Airport has seen significant improvements, but in an increasingly competitive market for air services it is now entering an important phase in its development. We believe this proposed investment by Peel will enable its full potential to be achieved, providing greater choice to business and leisure passengers alike in a major conurbation and also bringing significant economic benefits. For Peel, it enables the group to expand in the regional airport sector, where it has achieved considerable success in recent years, particularly in the growth at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Peter Nears, strategic planning director, said: Airports are widely recognised as drivers of economic growth and therefore maximising the regenerative benefits Teesside International Airport can bring to the local economy will be a priority. In particular, we see synergies between the services the airport provides and adjacent commercial development opportunities. Northern Echo Saturday 23rd September 2006 “Airport asked public to pay for new signs ROAD signs directing travellers to an airport have still not been updated - two years after its change of name caused outrage in the region. Opponents criticised the decision to re-brand Teesside Airport and claimed that the cost of altering the signs - estimated at £250,000 - was a waste of money. Last night, on the eve of the second anniversary of the switch to Durham Tees Valley, The Northern Echo learned that airport bosses had tried to get public cash to pay for the changes. Airport owners Peel Holdings wanted a contribution from regional development agency One NorthEast - but were told: Youve had enough from us, already. A spokesman for One NorthEast said: We were approached for funding for new signage, but declined as we considered this a matter for the airport operators. However, One NorthEast has invested heavily in the future of the airport, funding a new £2m access road, the £530,000 passenger shuttle bus link from the main terminal to Darlington railway station and helped route development into Durham Tees Valley, such as the new Brussels service. A total of 135 signs need to be replaced - some with wording and some with an aeroplane image - but bosses at the airport said that they were confident that they will be updated by the end of the year. Project manager Gordon Smith said that the airport owners were on the verge of finalising an agreement with the Highways Agency to begin the work. Unfortunately, it has taken longer than we would have expected, said Mr Smith. But we should be in a position fairly soon to get things under way. The name-change was criticised by, among others, Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon, Stockton South MP Dari Taylor, and Redcar and Cleveland Council cabinet chairman, Eric Empsom. But supporters of the move insisted that the name should reflect the entire region - saying the move was favoured by the airlines operating from the airport. Bmibaby was among a number of airlines which pushed hard for the change in the hope that the Durham name would attract more passengers from Europe. Last week, it was announced that the company was withdrawing its low-cost services from the airport - six year-round flights and two seasonal ones.”
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 17:56:02 +0000