Station Update:

The latest timetable for the National Express East Anglia (NXEA) Southend-Liverpool Street has just been published on the NEXA website they are due to start on 22nd May Southend Airport is actually listed!

http://www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/travel_information/train_timetables/may_2011_timetable

(Timetable No3) they are PDF format so you will need a reader to view them.

The long running saga of the extention of the runway at Southend Airport is heading to Europe!

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/southend/8979584.Anti_airport_campaign_goes_to_Europe/

The full article go’s on to state that the European Parliament Petitions Department have got ZERO powers over UK courts or Government policy.

If you read them comments most of the 3000 who signed the petition are not even local to Southend!

Cheers guys.

A tad off subject expect some news on a website soon!

From the local rag:

SOUTHEND Airport’s new £3million control tower is up and running.

More here: http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/8953495.Southend_Airport_s_new_control_tower_ready_for_action/

The comments are always worth a read, “jayman” is very anti-airport. Have to smile at the comment by “Max Impact”

New lease vs Old Lease…

The final round of meetings for the agreement of the new operating lease for Southend airport has been given the final seal of approval from councillors.

The final full council meeting saw members vote to approve the lease, by 39 votes to four. All the opposition votes were cast by Lib Dem councillors, who had demanded for a full night closure of the airport.

New Lease vs Old Lease

Night flights – limit of up to 30 movements per month (4 per night)
limit of up to 915 movements per month (30 per night)

Night flights – limited to aircraft with noise quota of 1 or below and no helicopters (except emergency services)
no controls

Night flights – runway preference arrangement so that landings and take offs to north east except where unsafe
no controls

Night flights – passenger flights prohibited after 23.30
no controls

Night flights – night defined as 23.00 to 06.30
night defined as 23.59 – 06.00

Total flight movements – cap 53,500 pa
no cap

Cargo/freight – limited to 10% of flight movements
no cap

Over 50% of all flight movements each year to/from north east and in particular the noisier landing flights
no controls

Provision of a new(2nd) instrument landing system allowing safer and steeper take off and landing (for 06 landings)
no new landing system

Engine testing – improved restrictions and controls
less restrictive controls

Noise – tough new limits
outdated noise controls

New penalty fines scheme for breaking limits
No penaltys in place at present.

Improved noise monitoring, air quality monitoring and carbon and environmental management plan

Installation of a secondary surveillance radar to ensure reliable data on flight movements for enforcement purposes
no secondary surveillance radar

The tower was said to be open by the Bleeping Echo… but that is the paper that thinks a B52 is a WW2 bomber!

The latest news from Southend is not good,

The Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond, has called a Public Inquiry into the “Stopping Up” of Eastwoodbury Lane.

The term stopping up is a term always used by the protest group who refuse to acknowledge that it is actually being diverted and improved to take out the sharp blind bends and improve traffic flow and pedestrian access along it.

The church at the end of the runway needs to have 38m of its wall dismantled and replaced with a 3m high fragable fence and a bush (the wall is a few foot high) the dismantled wall will be used in another section of the church grounds, the church car park will be re-surfaced new lighting installed and the drainage sorted out, the section of the re-diverted Eastwoodbury Lane out the front of the church would then be fenced in and gated and gifted to the church who would had the keys to the gate, this will give the church its own area for weddings and funerals to be conducted in private without heavy traffic going past, whilst the official of the church have not made any complaints the diocese have received a number of letters of objection so a special meeting has had to be arranged for them to put their views across.

The airport and church have been talking to each other for a number of years and both agreed to these changes, it is only the letters of objection that has prompted this issue.

Southend Airports new terminal today.

Bit tricky to photograph because of the security boards that are up.

On the planning aplication front the protester that applyied for a JR has gone for an apeal with will be in the form of a 10-20min oral heating infront of a new judge and it will still be supported by legal aid 😡

If this fails they will have another apeal chance again probably on legal aid :mad::mad:

The protester are demanding restriant on behalf of the Council & Stobarts and stop all work until after all apeals are spent…

Work continues on the new access road 😀

As a footnote Southend Airport will be closed to all traffic
8:00pm Friday 4th March–8:00am Monday 7th March
8:00pm Friday 11th March–8:00am Monday 14th March
8:00pm Friday 18th March –8:00am Monday 21st March

This is so that the runway can be resurfaced.