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Farnborough Airport: Halcrow 'independent' advice

Keith Parkins | 07.02.2003 16:31

A special planning meeting has been called to push through the
final phase of planning consent for a business airport at
Farnborough - Rushmoor council office, Farnborough, 7pm Monday 10
February 2003.



A special planning meeting has been called to push through the
final phase of planning consent for a business airport at
Farnborough - Rushmoor council office, Farnborough, 7pm Monday 10
February 2003.

TAG Aviation were granted outline planning consent in August
2000, various planning conditions had to be met. Only two are
left outstanding (conditions 16 & 17) relating to safety.

Condition 16: The extent of the 1:10,000 annual individual risk
contour.

Condition 17: The extent of the 1:100,000 annual individual risk
contour.

As a result of a successful High Court challenge (Parkins v
Rushmoor), Rushmoor were forced to seek 'independent advice'.

Two flawed reports were sourced from ERM. ERM are known for their
role in greenwashing corporate projects, eg Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline through Turkey, which no doubt explains why they were
chosen.

 http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/tag1617i.htm
 http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/tag-erm.htm

A further report has been commissioned from Halcrow (attached as
an annexe to the planning committee agenda).

 http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/council/ci13ac.htm

Halcrow are the lead consultants for DfT (previously DTLR) for
aviation in the south east. In their report for SERAS, Halcrow
stated there was no third party risk at Farnborough!

 http://www2.aviation.dft.gov.uk/aviation/consult/airconsult/se/technical/findings/pdf/ss2achapter13.pdf

Halcrow independent?

1 in 10,000 risk is regarded by HSE as an intolerable level of risk
to third parties.

The 1 in 10,000 annual individual risk contour extends beyond
the airfield boundary at the western end.

TAG fail on condition 16.

The 1:100,000 annual individual risk contour encloses more people
at Farnborough (3500), ie more people at risk of being killed,
than at any other UK airport, including Heathrow (2200), the
world's busiest airport. At Gatwick the figure is 2 people.

TAG fail on condition 17.

Drawing risk contours is not a safety study as no account has been
taken of the population on the ground. To date no safety study
has been carried out.

In their submission to the High Court, Rushmoor admitted that no
safety study had been carried out. They stated a safety study
would be carried out when they considered conditions 16 & 17.

Rushmoor in contempt of court?

At the beginning of January 2003, TAG Aviation were granted a
Civil Licence by CAA to operate Farnborough as a civil airport.

Under Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act, TAG are legally
obliged to establish a mechanism for consultation, usually in
the form of a consultative committee to provide a forum within
which all interested affected parties can discuss and hopefully
resolve airfield issues. To date TAG have refused to discharge
their statutory obligations and establish a consultative
committee.

On Wednesday 5 February 2003, TAG Aviation held a ceremony
for the formal opening of Farnborough Airport.

Planning consent a foregone conclusion?

 http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/halcrow.htm
 http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=52490&group=webcast

Keith Parkins
- Homepage: http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/halcrow.htm