Thames Reach Airport: the latest web site

Link to web site

"The Thames Estuary at Hoo peninsular offers the space for a future international hub:

• Sufficiently far away from built-up residential areas for 24h operation
• Sufficiently close to large number of existing rail and road transport corridors
• Level brown field and flood risk land
• Surveyed by English Heritage."

Wider infrastructures

"The core proposals will be complemented by a number of related infrastructure initiatives, leveraging the core Thames Reach Airport proposals:

RAIL

• 'Eastern spine' – upgraded East coast mainline via LTX to Channel tunnel to form part of a national single homogeneous network with gauge and electrification for continuous through services – see Why AirRailHub
• New rail services linking Essex and Kent
• Stansted to Ebbsfleet (HS1) rail service.

THAMES ESTUARY

• Flood defence for London
• Tidal power generation with pump storage
• Dartford crossing relieve
• Ancillary Housing development
• Eco data centre – Powered and cooled by water
• Utility way leaves via LTX – Water, Power, Data
• Relocation of bird sanctuary."

Express&Star: "Staffordshire firm's new design puts HS2 bullet train on track"

"This exclusive image shows how 250mph high speed 'bullet trains' could look if Staffordshire engineering firm Alstom wins a slice of the controversial £8 billion HS2 contracts."

Link to web site

"The firm, which employs 2,000 workers in Stafford, plans to launch a bid to build 80 shuttle-style trains, which could spark a jobs surge.

"The company already supplies the high speed trains for the French TGV and Italian AGV services and could base a new manufacturing hub in the Midlands – creating up to 500 highly-skilled engineering jobs.

"Maintenance depots could see hundreds more posts created along the line in the region, bosses said today."

BBC: Expanding Stansted Airport,... Expanding Gatwick Airport

Link to web site

"Capacity at Stansted Airport could rise from 17.5 million to 160 million a year to help meet growing demand in the South East, its owners said.

The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) submitted potential options to the Airports Commission that include a £10bn "hub" with four runways.

"... The expansion plan has been submitted to the government-appointed Airports Commission, headed by former Financial Services Authority chairman Sir Howard Davies."

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Link to web site

"Gatwick Airport has announced its preferred location for a second runway.

"The airport has revealed details of its final submission to the Davies Commission, which is looking at raising airport capacity.

"Chief executive Stewart Wingate said the airport wanted a second runway to be positioned south of the existing airport."

Evening Standard: " ‘Hitler’ jibe at Boris airport as Mayor wants to close Heathrow and create new borough"

Link to web site

"A leading architect today attacked Boris Johnson’s 'mad' plan to build a £65 billion airport on the Thames Estuary and compared it to a project that Adolf Hitler might have dreamed up.

"Sir Terry Farrell, who has designed some of the world’s largest airports and railway stations, said the scale of the proposed four-runway project would be unprecedented in Britain and made the Government’s HS2 high-speed rail project “look like chicken feed”.

"The Mayor today underlined his commitment to an estuary airport by naming Sir Norman Foster’s Isle of Grain plan as his first choice. Expansion at Stansted was his second choice with a “Boris island” in the outer estuary third."

Boris backs three airports

The Mayor’s proposal for a new hub airport at Stansted

• The site would be on agricultural land to the northeast of the existing airport. The current terminal building and runway could be retained. This would mean existing operations could continue during the construction of a new hub


• It would be compatible with Government objectives to deliver thousands of jobs and growth across London, Essex, and the Cambridge to Peterborough business corridor. Investment in infrastructure could also support much-needed housing growth


• The number of people affected by noise could be less than five per cent of those who would be affected by an airport of a similar size at Heathrow


• A new high-speed rail line could transport passengers from central London to the airport in less than half an hour, and the airport could be served by an extension to the proposed Crossrail 2 scheme. Enhancements to the M25 and M11 would be necessary


• The hub could also be connected by the proposed route of the High Speed 2 (HS2) line allowing through-services from the Midlands and Northern England as well as to the Old Oak Common transport hub in west London


• It could be quicker to get to than Heathrow for a number of key locations including important London centres and areas of growth and regeneration such as Canary Wharf and the Lea Valley, as well as other major cities across the UK.

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The Mayor’s proposal for a new hub airport in the inner Thames Estuary

• It would be located on agricultural land next to the Thames Estuary in the northeast corner of the Isle of Grain. Some of the site would be on reclaimed land


• It would be compatible with Government objectives to deliver thousands of jobs and growth across London, Essex and Kent. Investment in infrastructure could also support much-needed housing growth


• The number of people affected by noise could be less than five per cent of those who would be affected by an airport of a similar size at Heathrow


• A new high-speed rail line could transport passengers from central London to the airport in less than half an hour and the airport could be served by an extension to Crossrail from Abbey Wood. A link to the high-speed rail line to northern Europe would also be possible


• Enhancements to the M25 would be necessary, but the highway connections could be compatible with the Government’s current aspirations for a new lower Thames crossing


• It could also be connected by the proposed HS2 route, allowing through-services from the Midlands and northern England as well as to the Old Oak Common transport hub in west London


• It could be quicker to get to than Heathrow for a number of vital locations, including important London centres and areas of growth and regeneration such as Canary Wharf and Stratford, as well as other major cities across the country


• There would be impacts on a number of habitats and designated areas, but there is a precedent for successful mitigation and provision of alternative habitats.

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The Mayor’s proposal for a new hub airport in the outer Thames Estuary

• It would be built on a man-made island in a shallow part of the Thames Estuary


• It would be compatible with Government objectives to deliver thousands of jobs and growth across London, Essex and Kent. Investment in infrastructure could also support much-needed housing growth


• Building an airport in this location would mean that no areas of population would be affected by excessive noise. This is the only option that would have a zero-noise footprint


• A new high-speed rail line could transport passengers from central London to the airport in just over half an hour, and the airport could be served by an extension to the Crossrail line. A link to the highspeed rail line to northern Europe would also be possible


• Enhancements to the M25 would be necessary, but the highway connections could be compatible with the Government’s current aspirations for a new lower Thames crossing


• It could also be connected to the proposed HS2 route, allowing through-services from the Midlands and northern England as well as to the Old Oak Common transport hub in west London


• Journey times from central London would be similar to those for Heathrow and quicker for a number of key locations in east London, including important growth and regeneration centres such as Canary Wharf and Stratford, as well as other major cities across the UK


• It presents a significant biodiversity and habitats challenge, but there is a precedent for successful mitigation and provision of alternative habitats.

Lord Foster pitches for Isle of Grain airport

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BBC: "Airport capacity:
Boris Johnson announces three proposals"

GlobalRailNews: "Siemens withdraws from Crossrail rolling stock contest"

Link to web site

"Siemens has said it ‘will not be proceeding further’ in the competition to build new trains for Crossrail.

"In a statement, the German train manufacturer said that the decision to withdraw was ‘a strategic decision that has been taken based on current business activity levels’.

"The announcement follows confirmation last week that Siemens would be supplying the new Thameslink trains – two years after the company was announced as the preferred bidder."

Evening Standard: "Boris Johnson decision on Earls Court flats 'is social engineering', say residents"

Link to web site

"Boris Johnson’s decision to approve the demolition of Earls Court exhibition centre and two nearby housing estates was met with fury today.

Residents condemned it as 'social engineering' which would force locals to make way for expensive flats. They urged Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles to call in the planning application and said they would go to judicial review if he refused.

"... The Mayor said he was 'acutely aware' of the concerns of some residents, but added:

"I’m reassured by the measures being taken by both councils and the developer, to make sure the needs of local people are properly addressed. [The project would] deliver huge benefits to the area and beyond, for years to come."

ITV: "Economic case has not been considered in Earls Court demolition"

Link to web site

"Assembly members Darren Johnson, Nicky Gavron and Stephen Knight are urging the Mayor of London to defer his decision on the Earls Court and West Kensington Opportunity Area - which includes the demolition of the Earls Court Exhibition Centres.

"Developers want to create four 'villages' and a 'high street' on a 77 acre site.

"It's claimed the plans will create 7,500 homes and thousands of permanent jobs, and take 20 years to complete."

LB of Brent: Old Oak Common, and what we can get out of it (and there's some pictures at the end)

Crossrail-HS2-Old Oak Common Planning Update[1]

Until 11 July: "High Speed Two Consultation"

Link to web site

"This consultation seeks your views on the proposals for refinement of the published HS2 route between London and the West Midlands which the Secretary of State for Transport intends to incorporate into the design of the route.

"Plans of the route will form a key element of the hybrid bill that will be put before Parliament by the end of 2013. Before taking a final decision he is seeking the public’s views on the proposals.

The website enables visitors to submit their responses to a series of consultation questions on these proposals. Within this response form please provide views and comments on the 'HS2 London-West Midlands Design Refinement Consultation' only. 

"A separate consultation is being conducted on the draft Environmental Statement and draft Code of Construction Practice. There are separate response mechanisms for this consultation.

"The consultation closes on 11 July 2013, and the website will be open for receiving comments until the closing date."

Brent Council: "Old Oak Common (Park Royal/Willesden Junction) – Public Consultation on a Vision for Regeneration"

"The Government has announced proposals for a new High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail station at Old Oak, not far from the Brent borough boundary at Willesden Junction, by 2026, potentially making it one of the best connected railway stations in the UK.

"This could give rise to significant potential for economic development, jobs growth and new homes as well as delivering major improvements to accessibility, particularly by rail, to the wider area in and around Harlesden.

"Brent, together with the GLA, TfL and the neighbouring boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Ealing, have been considering the potential for regenerating the wider area and are seeking views on a 30-year vision for Old Oak. [Kensington & Chelsea backed out at the last minute.]

"There is an opportunity, up until Friday 6 September 2013, to comment on this vision on the Mayor of London's website.

"View full details of the vision and how to comment on the proposals."

HS2 work sites, north-west of HS station