Oxfordshire eyed as site for London airport (From Bicester Advertiser)
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Oxfordshire eyed as site for London airport
10:30am Monday 3rd September 2012 in News
CHANCELLOR George Osborne said “all options” need to be looked at to increase airport capacity in the South East, after reports that a consortium want to build a four-runway airport in Oxfordshire.
But Mr Osborne yesterday said he had also not ruled out a controversial third runway at Heathrow airport to deal with growing demand.
The Chancellor spoke as it was reported in The Independent on Sunday that an unnamed group of British businesses has commissioned a “world-leading infrastructure firm” to assess potential sites to the west and north of London which could rival, or even replace, Heathrow.
The paper claimed the consortium has opened talks with Chinese sovereign wealth funds over the financing of the project, which could cost between £40bn to £60bn. And it named Banbury and Twyford in Berkshire as two possible locations with good rail links to London.
Department for Transport spokesman Jon Rhodes said: “In the medium term the UK does face a capacity challenge, especially in the South East, and it is this challenge we will seek to address in the call for evidence later this year.”
Comments(40)
Gunslinger
says...
12:17pm Mon 3 Sep 12
Perhaps people would rather have had the reservoir!
Andrew:Oxford
says...
1:25pm Mon 3 Sep 12
Firstly anything that improves public transport infrastructure in the Oxford area can't be a bad thing.
Secondly, between this and HS2 it'll keep the CPRE so busy that they won't have the time or energy to meddle in the smaller affairs of the city or county.
EMBOX1
says...
2:48pm Mon 3 Sep 12
But seriously, we need to be careful.
A very good and available site is Didcot A - massive open land towards Sutton Courtenay, the A34 minutes away, and an existing double track rail loop into the site - perfect for getting people to/from London.
Megs
says...
3:24pm Mon 3 Sep 12
What fun. Just imagine all those fuming travellers delayed for 8 hours or so on the A34, the M4,the M40, or the tender mercies of First Great Western (or replacement) from Didcot Parkway or Oxford. They could probably fly half way around the globe in the same time it would take them to travel from an Oxfordshire airport to the Great Wen. They'd probaly opt for Charles De Gaulle or Schipol rather than chance an alleged "60 minutes" from this neck of the woods.
bart-on simpson
says...
4:13pm Mon 3 Sep 12
The small noisy planes overhead do make quite a nuisance - and I live three miles from Kidlington - though the balloons coming over here far more of a disaster waiting to happen.
Gunslinger
says...
4:45pm Mon 3 Sep 12
Andrew:Oxford wrote:Yes, the NIMBY's will be so busy with this and HS2 that any number of waste incinerators and housing developments can be slipped through on the nod.....
Fantastic news on two counts.
Firstly anything that improves public transport infrastructure in the Oxford area can't be a bad thing.
Secondly, between this and HS2 it'll keep the CPRE so busy that they won't have the time or energy to meddle in the smaller affairs of the city or county.
mytaxes
says...
7:47pm Mon 3 Sep 12
Andrew:Oxford
says...
8:17pm Mon 3 Sep 12
mytaxes wrote:Everyone in Oxford does.
Huge areas of West London and further to the west have been blighted by Heathrow. The propaganda that aircraft are getting quieter does not help those that have to keep their windows closed in the summer because of the noise. Quiet enjoyment of gardens are ruined, washing left out to dry turns yellow with aviation fuel. Try living near an International Airport before you jump for joy.
Benson, Brize Norton, London Heathrow, London Oxford, London Luton, Coventry all within a short distance.
No matter where you are in the South of England, if you put whites at 7am on a day with strong sunshine and go to work - 12 hours later when you take them back in they'll be bleached yellow by the sun.
knowall999
says...
8:56pm Mon 3 Sep 12
mytaxes wrote:The vast majority of people living there moved in AFTER Heathrow was built,then moan like feck about the noise.......get real !!!!!
Huge areas of West London and further to the west have been blighted by Heathrow. The propaganda that aircraft are getting quieter does not help those that have to keep their windows closed in the summer because of the noise. Quiet enjoyment of gardens are ruined, washing left out to dry turns yellow with aviation fuel. Try living near an International Airport before you jump for joy.
abingdonguy
says...
9:44pm Mon 3 Sep 12
there are a lot of old disused RAF airfields up and down the country. Wouldnt it make more sense to use one of those?
Arkright
says...
10:44pm Mon 3 Sep 12
EMBOX1
says...
1:19pm Tue 4 Sep 12
to ny w
says...
1:29pm Tue 4 Sep 12
Nick Mawer
says...
2:23pm Tue 4 Sep 12
Andrew:Oxford
says...
3:13pm Tue 4 Sep 12
EMBOX1 wrote:That would be a really good site.
Remember LOX, people. Its back again, this time twice as big. But seriously, we need to be careful. A very good and available site is Didcot A - massive open land towards Sutton Courtenay, the A34 minutes away, and an existing double track rail loop into the site - perfect for getting people to/from London.
It would also fit in with the "secret" plans that were published a few years back that showed the 6 lane A34M link road between Didcot and J9 of the M40 to relieve pressure on the A34 at Oxford.
bodchris
says...
8:11pm Tue 4 Sep 12
FANTASTIC!!! Bring it on! Do the A40 as well, 6 lanes from the M40 to Cheltenham!
Why Banbury for the Airport?? Why not Otmoor nearer Oxford?? Not many humans near Otmoor, flat and under-developed...pe
rfect.
bodchris
says...
8:16pm Tue 4 Sep 12
to ny w wrote:I think Bicester would be a very good site as well, good rail links (but who uses rail anyway?) and a badly needed upgrade to a 6 lane A41 would be excellent also.
Why not send it to Bicester, we seem to get all the crap going at the moment!
bodchris
says...
8:24pm Tue 4 Sep 12
abingdonguy wrote:Upper Heyford would be better, possibly Abingdon, but both would need major extensions and huge infrastructure upgrades. RAF Fairford, even better, massive runway. Little Rissington still has runways but the escarpment at the end of runway rules that out. Chalgrove would be another candidate, plenty of land about and nearer to London. Yep, Oxfordshire is a good county for the airport. Thumbs up!
Why not use Lynham now the RAF dont use it anymore? Thats got good links to motorways, and its already got the runway built.
there are a lot of old disused RAF airfields up and down the country. Wouldnt it make more sense to use one of those?
bodchris
says...
9:19pm Tue 4 Sep 12
As for the UK being too crowded...what rot, get up in a plane and look down...bags of green spaces, all potential building ground but the CPRE and it's crew wish to deny us the right to build decent houses rather then the awful rabbit hutches being built today. A disgrace!
AndrewAtAbingdon
says...
10:48pm Tue 4 Sep 12
to ny w
says...
9:42am Wed 5 Sep 12
Finmere.
Ex WWII airfield and right next to proposed HS2 route. Therefore quick links north and south and quick links to M40.
No brainer.
to ny w
says...
9:44am Wed 5 Sep 12
Nick Mawer wrote:Bit like the horse has bolted Nick, still I suppose it saves you some face in Cherwell promoting the ECO CON without a local plan being in place at the time.
Ah yes Tony, I hope you have obtained your copy of the Consultation draft of the Local Plan and Bicester Masterplan.
Naughty naughty!!
Nick Mawer
says...
10:20am Wed 5 Sep 12
to ny w
says...
10:32am Wed 5 Sep 12
Nick Mawer wrote:Facts are facts, aren't they?
If that is what you want to believe Tony
Diddyman
says...
11:35am Wed 5 Sep 12
So Steventon or the Didcot A site I would have thought do not meet the above requirements. Why not build to the north of London?
Dilligaf2010
says...
12:56pm Wed 5 Sep 12
Andrew:Oxford
says...
2:27pm Wed 5 Sep 12
bodchris wrote:Indeed. Here is the story from "The Oxford Times" way back in 2004...
6 lane A34M link road between Didcot and the M40???
FANTASTIC!!! Bring it on! Do the A40 as well, 6 lanes from the M40 to Cheltenham!
Why Banbury for the Airport?? Why not Otmoor nearer Oxford?? Not many humans near Otmoor, flat and under-developed...pe
rfect.
http://www.oxfordmai
l.co.uk/archive/2004
/05/21/Oxfordshire+A
rchive/6565703.Propo
sed_A34_route_could_
be_a_blunder/
Nick Mawer
says...
4:24pm Wed 5 Sep 12
to ny w wrote:Yes Tony - and when you grasp them we can have a sensible debate.
Nick Mawer wrote:Facts are facts, aren't they?
If that is what you want to believe Tony
mandate
says...
6:44pm Wed 5 Sep 12
As for the people living near to Oxford, it's a pain to have to travel to Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton or Stansted airports. Just imagine being able to start a business trip, or holiday, without having the cost or bother of travelling to any of these airports.
mytaxes
says...
7:08pm Wed 5 Sep 12
Arkright
says...
7:25pm Wed 5 Sep 12
Nick Mawer wrote:Nick, maybe you and/or Cherwell DC would have the decency to explain to us all, as to how you came to allowing the 'Eco' town to go ahead. It makes no sense to an awful lot of people, not just Tony.
to ny w wrote:Yes Tony - and when you grasp them we can have a sensible debate.
Nick Mawer wrote:Facts are facts, aren't they?
If that is what you want to believe Tony
Nick Mawer
says...
7:50am Thu 6 Sep 12
to ny w
says...
8:20am Thu 6 Sep 12
Nick Mawer wrote:Ok Nick,I accept your offer to discuss the ECO CON outside this forum, do you have the balls to set up a public debate on this subject?
Arkwright, here isn't the right place for a detailed discussion on the history of the Eco-town, but feel free to contact me on the phone and I will try to do just that.
No local plan, no general consensus, no commercial requirement, no private funding = BONKERS DECISION.
BaECON would welcome you to join us in a forthright discussion on the ECO TOWN.
Nick Mawer
says...
10:42am Thu 6 Sep 12
to ny w
says...
4:09pm Thu 6 Sep 12
Nick Mawer wrote:So that's a no to a public debate then?
Tony - I accept that I will never convince you. You are in possession of all the facts yet you still come to the conclusion that you do. I can only imagine that there is some other reason for your stance.
Not surprised.
Arkright
says...
7:28pm Thu 6 Sep 12
Nick Mawer wrote:Nick, it's a bit late as the decision has already been made to go ahead regardless of what any of us think. But thank you for your offer and I will call you early next week.
Arkwright, here isn't the right place for a detailed discussion on the history of the Eco-town, but feel free to contact me on the phone and I will try to do just that.
to ny w
says...
9:04am Fri 7 Sep 12
Arkright wrote:Technically that is incorrect. The exemplar site for 394 houses has detailed consent subject to many onerous conditions. The rest of the 850 a site has no consent. It is merely included in a much awaited local plan which is out for consultation and has yet to be adopted. There are still a lot of hoops to be jumped. One of them is the commercial inadequacies of any scheme that is being built to code 5 sustainability, using there figures it may take 50 years to build!!!!For further info
Nick Mawer wrote:Nick, it's a bit late as the decision has already been made to go ahead regardless of what any of us think. But thank you for your offer and I will call you early next week.
Arkwright, here isn't the right place for a detailed discussion on the history of the Eco-town, but feel free to contact me on the phone and I will try to do just that.
please got to our website
www.baecon.blogspot.
co.uk
Bon Rurgundy
says...
6:16pm Fri 7 Sep 12
It's a classic diversion tactic - get the tree huggers and nimbys out in the sticks crying into their Starbucks while the third runway is slipped in. Dave's hardly going to defecate on his own doorstep.
bodchris
says...
6:24pm Fri 7 Sep 12
Bon Rurgundy wrote:Wonderful, Ron, I couldn't have put it better myself.....
This would be great news if it happened, providing a huge boost to the local economy and cutting house prices, but let's face it, there's more chance of Oxford United winning the Premier League than there is of this airport being built.
It's a classic diversion tactic - get the tree huggers and nimbys out in the sticks crying into their Starbucks while the third runway is slipped in. Dave's hardly going to defecate on his own doorstep.
sablond oxford says...
11:58am Mon 3 Sep 12