Blackpool Airport to close?

[theblackwatch]

Looks like Blackpool Airport couple be closing within the next month if a buyer cannot be found.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-29412152

Blackpool International Airport has announced it is "likely to close" unless a buyer can be found.

A statement by the airport said if no sale agreement was reached by 7 October, the last commercial flights would take place on 15 October.

It claimed the facility has been "making a loss for a number of years".

Balfour Beatty, which bought the site in 2008, put it up for sale a month ago to end its involvement in running regional airports.

 

[Howardh]

Owned by Balfour Beatty? And what do Balfour Beatty do...build houses by any chance? The cynic in me thinks they bought it in the first place and then added the £10 compulsory fee in order to put people off so they could use the land for.....

 

[starrymarkb]

BB have been offloading their airports - They put Exeter up for sale recently but as it's profitable with Flybe's maintainance base and viable scheduled flying it found a buyer.

Blackpool has the problem of being too close to Manchester and Liverpool which offer much greater choice of scheduled flights. Blackpool might work as a GA airfield but would have to cut it's costs significantly.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Could the local authority at Blackpool place a planning permission embargo on housebuilding on the site of the airport and state that only other uses can be made of the land?

The former holiday camp site once run by Pontins, that is adjacent to the airport, currently lies in a state of total devastation when last I passed it. Has any forum member local to that site any news what is happening there?

 

[Titfield]

Whats wrong with closing it and using the land for houses?

Small airports do not appear to be viable businesses given the structural changes in the airline business.

Surely it is no different than any industrial or manufacturing site closing and being used for other purposes?

 

[northwichcat]

I think if Manchester Airport close Runway 1 at night they should not be able to use Runway 2 in lieu and be forced to divert planes to other airports such as Blackpool. Manchester Airport are really abusing their rights to use Runway 2 overnight, given they sometimes use it overnight due to 'essential' work being required on Runway 1 but then weeks later reveal they'll have to close Runway 1 again because they never did the work when it was closed previously due to there being a lot of rain, or some similar excuse.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whats wrong with closing it and using the land for houses?

One might well ask why the redundant land that was once occupied by Pontins holiday camp that was mentioned in my posting being used for housing?

 

[edwin_m]

One might well ask why the redundant land that was once occupied by Pontins holiday camp that was mentioned in my posting being used for housing?

Cos people don't want to live next door to an airport?

 

[neilmc]

I think if Manchester Airport close Runway 1 at night they should not be able to use Runway 2 in lieu and be forced to divert planes to other airports such as Blackpool. Manchester Airport are really abusing their rights to use Runway 2 overnight, given they sometimes use it overnight due to 'essential' work being required on Runway 1 but then weeks later reveal they'll have to close Runway 1 again because they never did the work when it was closed previously due to there being a lot of rain, or some similar excuse.

I think you'll find that forced diversions are extremely costly and unpopular with passengers, crew and airport operations, especially if there's a perfectly usable runway. Do you live in Knutsford by any chance? I only hear these complaints from middle-class enclaves, people in Wythenshawe who live on the doorstep put up with aircraft noise because for them planes means jobs.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cos people don't want to live next door to an airport?

See posting # 9. There has been a recent influx of private housing enclaves built on a number of the constituent areas that make up Wythenshawe, in addition to the housing association properties that were once part of the public housing stock of Manchester Corporation.

 

[AngelicUpstart]

Final site clearing is currently going on at the former Pontins site. House building is expected to start in the New Year.

 

[northwichcat]

I think you'll find that forced diversions are extremely costly and unpopular with passengers, crew and airport operations, especially if there's a perfectly usable runway. Do you live in Knutsford by any chance? I only hear these complaints from middle-class enclaves, people in Wythenshawe who live on the doorstep put up with aircraft noise because for them planes means jobs.

I do live in Knutsford and as I don't live in the posh part of Knutsford I'm around 1 mile closer to Runway 2 than the costly houses on the likes of Legh Road and Leycester Road.

People who live on Longridge (an overflow Wythenshawe estate on the edge of Knutsford) complain about aircraft noise. In fact with Longridge being the most densely populated area of the town and the closest estate to the Airport I wouldn't be surprised if most of the complaints from Knutsford don't originate from Longridge. If that is the case then it's the working class people who make the most complaints about it.

I'm also not sure about the relevance of Wythenshawe given Runway 2 is further away from Wythenshawe than Runway 1 and Runway 1 has existed longer than most of the houses in Wythenshawe. With Knutsford the reverse applies, with Runway 2 being the nearest and being newer than probably 99% of the houses currently in the town. So Runway 2 was a win win situation for Wythenshawe - more jobs and less aircraft noise.

The terms of Runway 2 usage were originally agreed (between the Airport, the government and local councils) as it would not be used between the hours of 22:00 and 07:00 except in exceptional circumstances. Since then the Airport has shortened the hours it's not being used between and also redefined exceptional circumstances. It also changed the flight paths so that the Knutsford Over ward has been disadvantaged - the reason given for that is the magnetic North Pole has moved so we have to move our flight paths.

 

[starrymarkb]

I don't buy the pole moving excuse - The Pole does move, but only slightly - the Rate of change is shown on the airport charts is something like 0.2 degrees per year.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

What does the position of the north magnetic pole have to do with flightpaths anyway?

Compass deviation - yes.

But flightpaths?!?!?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Owned by Balfour Beatty? And what do Balfour Beatty do...build houses by any chance? The cynic in me thinks they bought it in the first place and then added the £10 compulsory fee in order to put people off so they could use the land for.....

Maybe, but who'd want to live in Blackpool?

 

[starrymarkb]

What does the position of the north magnetic pole have to do with flightpaths anyway?

Compass deviation - yes.

But flightpaths?!?!?

Are mostly based on Magnetic North. (True North is only used above ~65N)

For the Flight Paths and routes see this link
http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/publi...ntent&task=blogcategory&id=99&Itemid=148.html

Look for links with SID in the name for the departure routes.

 

[northwichcat]

Maybe, but who'd want to live in Blackpool?

Given property in Blackpool is more expensive than elsewhere in Lancashire it seems people do want to live in Blackpool despite it's identity crisis.

 

[mister-sparky]

Given property in Blackpool is more expensive than elsewhere in Lancashire it seems people do want to live in Blackpool despite it's identity crisis.

And nearly 150,000 people live there making it one of the most populous places in the North West. So yes people do want to live there...

 

[Sheepy1209]

The former Pontin's site is in Lytham St Annes, not Blackpool (as is the airport) - maybe a technicality but it didn't stop the developer initially naming the site something like "Lytham Dunes" when it's miles from Lytham and nearer to St Annes.

Some buyers may well be duped into buying there as a commuting base, because of its proximity to the railway - only to find that the service is atrocious on that line!

As a resident of Blackpool (on the northern edge) I resent the 'who would want to live in Blackpool' comment, the town's an easy target when actually the Fylde coast is a great place to live, provided you've got a job - and that's a problem with the whole country, not just Blackpool. Personally I wouldn't want to live on that bleak, windswept site but I'm sure plenty will.

As for the airport - my view is biased by its sheer convenience, but the parking is a farce (it's just a field), the departure fee is unpopular (not all of us need to park a car so the free parking is of no value), and the site has been run down while in Balfour Beatty's hands. It doesn't help that they employ possibly the grumpiest, most hostile security person I've ever met (anyone who's encountered him will know what I mean). But it's still a lot better than the overcrowded shopping mall that is Manchester Airport.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are mostly based on Magnetic North. (True North is only used above ~65N)

For the Flight Paths and routes see this link
http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/publi...ntent&task=blogcategory&id=99&Itemid=148.html

Look for links with SID in the name for the departure routes.

Surely it's only the flightpath headings that change with the movement of the magnetic north while the physical flightpath route stays in the same place? i.e. the aircraft are still flying over the same ground track?

 

[snowball]

Runway identification numbers occasionally change due to movement of the magnetic pole, because the runway number is supposed to reflect the magnetic heading of the runway in tens of degrees.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

As for the airport - my view is biased by its sheer convenience, but the parking is a farce (it's just a field), the departure fee is unpopular (not all of us need to park a car so the free parking is of no value), and the site has been run down while in Balfour Beatty's hands. It doesn't help that they employ possibly the grumpiest, most hostile security person I've ever met (anyone who's encountered him will know what I mean). But it's still a lot better than the overcrowded shopping mall that is Manchester Airport.

Now then, for reasons that will run to pages long, do not compare Manchester airport to Blackpool airport....

 

[Kite159]

The former Pontin's site is in Lytham St Annes, not Blackpool (as is the airport) - maybe a technicality but it didn't stop the developer initially naming the site something like "Lytham Dunes" when it's miles from Lytham and nearer to St Annes.

Some buyers may well be duped into buying there as a commuting base, because of its proximity to the railway - only to find that the service is atrocious on that line!

As a resident of Blackpool (on the northern edge) I resent the 'who would want to live in Blackpool' comment, the town's an easy target when actually the Fylde coast is a great place to live, provided you've got a job - and that's a problem with the whole country, not just Blackpool. Personally I wouldn't want to live on that bleak, windswept site but I'm sure plenty will.

As for the airport - my view is biased by its sheer convenience, but the parking is a farce (it's just a field), the departure fee is unpopular (not all of us need to park a car so the free parking is of no value), and the site has been run down while in Balfour Beatty's hands. It doesn't help that they employ possibly the grumpiest, most hostile security person I've ever met (anyone who's encountered him will know what I mean). But it's still a lot better than the overcrowded shopping mall that is Manchester Airport.

Is Manchester worst than Gatwick which is a shopping mall with runaways attached?

--

Small regional airports (Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol) are good as it spreads the load of domestic flights & European flights, rather than being at the hub airports. Although as the likes of Ryanair try and force down their costs of using the airports, the airport owners have to recover money somehow (hence increase of parking fees, getting rid of 'free 15 minutes' etc)

 

[WatcherZero]

No, it does have about the same number of shops as a large NR train station but they are behind the security line only a couple of cafes and travels shops on the pre-security side. Problem Manchester has is its very claustrophobic, low ceilings and the main terminal was originally built for bi-directional usage however they had to seperate it into seperate arrivals and departures halls on two levels over the years as security requirements increased and the retail hall was also moved behind the security barriers (barriers originally on other side of retail hall) so its a very cramped terminal.

Word is behind the scenes the airports negotiating with airlines about knocking down the existing terminal and building a brand new main terminal. Lots of agreements have to be done about compensation for disruption and temporary gates, the airlines all want to specify facilities that cater to their individual requirements too.

Manchester dominates the long range routes north of London, they have some budget airlines which is increasing but they didnt rely on it and dont let the budget airlines push them around. Ryanair about 5 years ago infamously demanded that it wanted free landing slots and the airport to actually pay the airline £10 for every passenger (reverse of normal terminal fees arrangements) as they said the airport would make it back from station retail, Manchester told them to take a hike and so they decamped to Liverpool for a few years who would bow to their demands before coming back to Manchester with their tail between their legs. Thatsaid the level of demand means higher pricing and so it would be tough to operate from Manchester for airlines like Flybe which operate on a shoestring.

 

[starrymarkb]

Is Manchester worst than Gatwick which is a shopping mall with runaways attached?

--

Small regional airports (Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol) are good as it spreads the load of domestic flights & European flights, rather than being at the hub airports. Although as the likes of Ryanair try and force down their costs of using the airports, the airport owners have to recover money somehow (hence increase of parking fees, getting rid of 'free 15 minutes' etc)

Bristol is horrific these days. The Terminal is far too small for the number of passengers and has been filled with shops at the expense of seating. Boarding queues can actually block off shops at times because someone thought it would be a good idea to put WHSmith right next to one of the gate desks!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The former Pontin's site is in Lytham St Annes, not Blackpool (as is the airport) - maybe a technicality but it didn't stop the developer initially naming the site something like "Lytham Dunes" when it's miles from Lytham and nearer to St Annes.

Can someone confirm which local authority area actually administers Squires Gate, please.

 

[chorleyjeff]

Given property in Blackpool is more expensive than elsewhere in Lancashire it seems people do want to live in Blackpool despite it's identity crisis.

Are you sure about Blackpool prperty prices?
Where does the "given" come from?
Ribble Valley, Lune Valley, Silverdale area, Lytham and numerous other places have, from my experience, much higher property prices.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

And nearly 150,000 people live there making it one of the most populous places in the North West. So yes people do want to live there...

Lots of people live in Blackburn, Burnley, Nelson, Colne etc etc. That does not make them places WANT to live.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Are you sure about Blackpool prperty prices?
Where does the "given" come from?
Ribble Valley, Lune Valley, Silverdale area, Lytham and numerous other places have, from my experience, much higher property prices.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Lots of people live in Blackburn, Burnley, Nelson, Colne etc etc. That does not make them places WANT to live.

Oops. Freudianslip. Should have ended the previous sentence with "there".

 

[snowball]

Can someone confirm which local authority area actually administers Squires Gate, please.

As this OS map shows, the runways are south of the Blackpool boundary and so must be in Fylde. I'm not familiar with the airport but it looks as though some of the airport buildings may be within Blackpool.

 

[chorleyjeff]

Can someone confirm which local authority area actually administers Squires Gate, please.

The airport is in Fylde District. The boundary with Blackpoo runs along the Northern side ofthe airport.

 

[AndrewP]

Owned by Balfour Beatty? And what do Balfour Beatty do...build houses by any chance? The cynic in me thinks they bought it in the first place and then added the £10 compulsory fee in order to put people off so they could use the land for.....

They are not a housebuilder.

They are restructuring as a whole and have sold off some parts of their business recently too - such as their facilities management arm to Cofely.

I don't think the purchase of the airport was part of a property development plan but if and when the site is redeveloped they would likely want to be involved in part of it.