1. The aims of the South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study (SERAS) are common to the equivalent studies into airports and air service provision in other UK regions which it is designed to complement, namely:
- to develop a better understanding of the demand for, and constraints on, airports and air service development in the South East and East of England, consider how these might be addressed, and evaluate how any future proposals might impact on the aviation strategies being developed for other parts of the UK.
- to examine options for the sustainable development of airports and air services in the area over the next 30 years as a key input to the preparation of a new national airports policy statement, foreshadowed in A New Deal for Transport.
- to ensure that full consideration is given in the development of airports and air service provision to the environmental, economic, employment, housing and transport implications, in the light of regional economic and spatial planning objectives for London, the South East and the East of England; and to inform future reviews of Regional Planning Guidance and the Regional Development Agencies' regional strategies for the three regions.
2. Where the South East and East of England Study is likely to differ from the other regional studies is in its scale and complexity; this reflects the size of the region and the scale of the demand it generates, the diversity and status of the airports it contains, and the range of air services which are available. Given the capacity constraints which already exist at some of the regions' airports, it will also need to look in greater detail at options for runway and terminal capacity enhancement, together with options for new airports and for no further development and the management of demand. This means the South East and East of England Study will therefore be by far the largest of the Regional Air Studies and consequently will require a different approach to managing and procuring the work. The study will therefore need to be taken forward as a series of work streams brought together in a comprehensive appraisal of a wide range of options the outcome of which will provide the basis for subsequent public consultation.
3. The work streams should:
- Develop profiles of potential future demand for scheduled and chartered air services, air freight and business aviation in the South East and East of England, (SE and EE), under a range of scenarios (including those that both meet and manage demand) covering a 30 year planning period.
- Analyse the role of SE and EE Airports in meeting demand originating from within the study area, from elsewhere in the UK and from international passengers interlining over SE and EE airports.
- Evaluate current and future airspace and air traffic control capacity issues, airspace integration and possible environmental improvements through design changes in airspace over the SE and East of England.
- Evaluate current, prospective and potential capacity at existing SE and EE airports and their ability to meet a range of demand from different market sectors.
- Assess potential fiscal and regulatory tools for ensuring optimum use of existing runway and terminal capacity serving demand arising at SE and EE airports and their role in managing demand to reflect environmental capacity constraints.
- Identify potential for both existing and new sites, within or accessible from the SE and EE, to provide additional capacity to meet alternative levels of aircraft and passenger transport movement demand; this will require careful consideration of the environmental, health, engineering, operational, safety, legal, commercial, economic, land-use planning and surface access associated with each.
- Develop a South East Airports Appraisal Framework (SEAAF) based on the approved New Approach to Transport Appraisal (NATA) and sustainability criteria, to facilitate the evaluation of both demand management and enhanced capacity options; this will require consultation on the criteria and indicators to be used, the development of a suite of appraisal tools and the establishment of clearly defined sifting procedures for use at different stages of the study.
- Derive a range of alternative "packages" of runway, terminal and surface access options to provide different levels of capacity over and above that which is prospectively available from existing, or prospective, airport infrastructure.
- Evaluate these "packages" using the agreed appraisal methodology and the presentation of those results for public consultation, to identify the implications in economic, environmental and social terms of both meeting, and not meeting, demand.
- Consider what environmental conditions and controls might be a desirable component of the packages.
4. As with the other Regional Air Service Studies, this study will be undertaken by a combination of in-house resources, consultants appointed and reporting to DETR and contributions from key consultees. DETR will manage the work in close consultation with the Government Offices for London, the South East, and the East of England. The study will be overseen by a Government Inter-departmental Steering Group and an External Reference Group whose membership will encompass a wide range of aviation, passenger, regional, local and environmental interests. In addition a number of sub-groups will be established to enable external interests to be kept appraised of and contribute to the different work streams. In line with the inclusive approach required of the study, consultation will be structured but wide-ranging, drawing on the successful techniques adopted during the other regional studies.
5. In undertaking the study it will also be necessary:
- to have regard to emerging planning, transport, environmental and economic strategies, and regional sustainable development frameworks, for regions within and adjacent to the study area;
- to take advantage, where appropriate, of the work done in RUCATSE;
- to co-ordinate, so far as practicable, work on this study with concurrent multi modal corridor studies impacting on the study area;
- to have regard to any relevant Local Authorities' air quality strategies and air quality management area action plans;
- to look for opportunities to facilitate public transport links to airports and to take account of the findings of the regions to London airports and inter-London airports rail studies commissioned by OPRAF and DETR;
- to consider options against a range of capacity scenarios including;
- no development beyond that already envisaged in the land-use planning system.
- development of terminal capacity to make full use of existing runway capacity.
- development of additional runway and terminal capacity.
Published 8 February 2000
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