Assessment Criteria for Aviation Development Proposals – SASIG Submission to the Airports Commission
This report forms SASIG’s submission to the Airports Commission’s call for criteria that might be used to identify the most plausible options for aviation development proposals.
SASIG supports the Commission’s indication that a successful aviation proposal will satisfactorily meet criteria under the following general headings: economic factors; social factors; climate change impacts; local environmental impacts; accessibility; and feasibility considerations. The submission provides targets and measurements under these headings, and offers evidence from case studies in support of them.
The submission asserts that any development must also be predicated on an improved economic assessment such that a comprehensive, agreed methodology for calculating the economic value of connectivity – in its full context, yields robust output for capturing the assessed economic gain. In order to capture the economic benefits of aviation it is vital to consider the role of airports in local economies, not just the national economy. Any economic evaluation and assessment of aviation developments needs to reflect the complex relationship between developments and the potential gains in terms of job creation, business attraction and regeneration in each locality. Aviation developments do not automatically lead to the projected gains being delivered.
The submission further asserts that consideration of development options for existing and new facilities must incorporate high quality public engagement resourced by the developer(s)/scheme proposer(s) from an early stage in consideration of such developments.