LTP 2006 Appendices

Introduction

There are three passenger airports in the West Midlands: Birmingham International, Coventry and Wolverhampton Business Airports.  Of these, Coventry and Wolverhampton are outside the Metropolitan Area.

Birmingham International Airport is the largest airport in the West Midlands.  It occupies a strategic location, north of the A45 Birmingham - Coventry road with connections to national motorway network at junction 6 of the M42 (A45) and junction 4 of the M6 (A446).  The section of the M42 between junctions 3a and 7 is extremely busy with well over 120,000 vehicles using it daily.  This length of motorway is being developed, by the Highways Agency, as a pilot Active Traffic Management project.  This will make best use of existing road space, help alleviate congestion, improve the detection and response to incidents and reduce delays to traffic.  BIA’s site adjoins that of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and they share access to the West Coast main line and local rail services via Birmingham International Station.

Coventry Airport is a much smaller airport.  It lies immediately outside the City Council and Metropolitan Area boundary, although the adjacent Middlemarch and Stonebridge Business Parks are within Coventry.  The principal access to the Airport and these and other employment areas is via the Tollbar End junction of the A45 and A46 trunk roads.  This is an extremely busy signalised roundabout, handling approximately 86,000 vehicles per day.  The Highways Agency have plans to increase its capacity by linking the A46 Coventry Eastern By-Pass and the A45 Stonebridge Highway under the Tollbar End junction.  This will relieve congestion and improve access to the Airport and adjoining employment areas.  The Airport has no access to the national rail network, although there is an hourly shuttle bus service linking with Coventry Station and the city centre.  Future growth of this airport is the subject of a public local inquiry arising from enforcement action and applications for planning permission in 2005.

Wolverhampton Airport is a small airport, previously used for private flying and now catering for business and general aviation.  It is located to the west of the Metropolitan Area, adjoining the village of Halfpenny Green in South Staffordshire, approximately 7½ miles south-west of Wolverhampton.  It is in a totally rural environment and its surface access traffic has an indiscernible effect on roads within the Metropolitan Area.  The Airport has no access to the national rail network, although there is a courtesy service linking with Stourbridge Junction Station.

The Future of Air Transport White Paper

The White Paper, published in December 2003, sets out a strategic framework for the development of airport capacity in the United Kingdom over the next thirty years.  It sets out the conclusions of the Government on the case for future expansion at airports across the country.  The Government wishes to encourage the growth of regional airports in order to support regional economic development, provide passengers with greater choice and reduce pressures on more over-crowded airports in the South East.

Birmingham International and East Midlands Airports are recognised as the two principal passenger airports in the Midlands (the West and East Midlands regions), handling virtually all the commercial passenger traffic flying into and out of the combined region.  However, less than half the air passengers travelling to or from the combined region use its airports.  The majority of the remainder travel, mostly by car, to and from South-East airports and Manchester Airport.

Having discounted the option of providing a new airport to serve the Midlands, the Government’s preferred location for a new runway to meet future growth in passenger demand is at Birmingham.  However, this expansion needs to be accompanied by a number of measures to ensure that local air quality standards are met and including improvements to the Airport’s road and rail links.

The White Paper devotes a paragraph each to Coventry and Wolverhampton Airports as set out below:

'Coventry Arport currently serves a specialist role within the region, catering for business aviation, air mail and some freight, and can continue to perform this role within existing constraints.  There is a current planning application for a terminal development at the airport.  However, in the light of our conclusions on capacity elsewhere in the Midlands, and having regard to potential surface access, environmental and airspace constraints, we would not envisage any significant further development being appropriate beyond the level of passenger throughput in the current application'.

'Wolverhampton Business Airport should continue its role of serving business and general aviation.  The airport could be capable of delivering commercial services on a limited scale, but should do so only in line with regional planning and transport priorities, and the scale of development at the site must take account of the constraints imposed by the lack of strategic road access.  With this in mind, any such development should be a matter for decision locally'.

Much of the remainder of the White Paper as it relates to the Midlands refers to Birmingham International Airport (BIA).  It dominates air transport movements locally and is, at present, the only airport in the region that is required to prepare a Surface Access Strategy.  In the light of this, the remainder of this Appendix focuses on BIA's Surface Access Strategy.  This Appendix has been prepared in partnership with BIA.

Role of Birmingham International Airport

BIA is a major element of the transport system of the West Midlands.  The contributions that it makes to the LTP's objectives are set out below:

• Economic Revitalisation – The Airport plays a very significant role in contributing to the economic vitality of the region.  The movement of visitors and business visitors is an essential element of the tourist and conference trade.  The Airport is a very large employer, which contributes to the economy of the region
• Accessibility and Social Inclusion – The Airport is adding further routes to its network, thereby extending international accessibility.  Locally, the Airport is actively supporting new public transport links which connect the Airport with the East Birmingham and North Solihull Regeneration Zone and also connect north and south Solihull via the Airport thus reducing social exclusion by increasing accessibility to its employment opportunities
• Sustainable Travel Patterns – The Airport Company is introducing various TravelWise initiatives to reduce the car dependency of its workforce and is investing in improved public transport links
• Safety and Health – The Airport Company is working towards reducing noise and pollution from its operations
• Integration – The Airport is directly connected to rail, bus, coach, taxi and private car facilities.  There has been a substantial investment in a new people mover link between the Airport terminal and Birmingham International Railway Station.  BIA has made a significant contribution to the recently completed interchange at the Station, complementing the LTP funding of this important project

Present Situation

As well as being the primary airport for the West Midlands region, BIA is also the UK’s second largest airport outside London.  It provides an extensive network of scheduled air services to over fifty destinations throughout Europe including daily services to the USA, the Middle East and the Indian Sub-Continent.  In terms of charter flights, BIA provides more services than any other UK airport, with the exception of Gatwick and Manchester.  In 2004, the Airport was used by nearly nine million passengers.

Future Growth

The Government's White Paper  - 'The Future of Air Transport’ recognises that a new runway will be needed at BIA by around 2016, although it suggests that the airport operator should judge when the project will be commercially viable.  The White Paper specifically supports proposals for a short wide-spaced runway as it is recognised that this option would cause less environmental damage than the other runway options that were considered in the earlier consultation document.

In October 2005, the Airport Company published a new Draft Airport Master Plan for public consultation.  The public consultation programme involved an extensive programme of exhibitions and public meetings, closing at the end of March 2006.  Following the consultation process, it is the Airport Company's intention to publish and 'adopt' a new Airport Master Plan in late 2006.  It is anticipated that the new Master Plan will help inform the review of the Regional Spatial Strategy and the new Solihull Local Development Framework (LDF), as well as other LDFs, Development Plans, Economic and Environmental Strategies and Local Transport Plans as appropriate

The passenger forecasts in the Draft Master Plan are very similar to those prepared by the DfT and predict 32.6 million passengers per annum (p.a.) in 2030 (the 'Baseline Scenario').  This compares with the DfT forecast of 31.7 million passengers p.a. in 2030.  However, the Air Transport Movement (ATMs) forecasts in the Draft Master Plan are 278,000 ATMs p.a. in 2030, compared with 350,000 ATMs p.a. in 2030 as forecast by the DfT.  The difference in the ATM forecasts is accounted for by an increased proportion of 'no frills' traffic in the Draft Master Plan, where 'no frills' traffic tends to utilise larger aircraft with high load factors which increases the number of passengers per ATM.

The new Draft Airport Master Plan has a plan period to 2030 and the key development proposals are an extension of the main runway, a new second runway and additional passenger terminal capacity to include a new, third passenger terminal.  The Draft Master Plan also considers the economic and social importance of the further development of the Airport and consequent environmental impacts.  It also considers the surface access issues, where this level of growth will have important implications for the future scale and pattern of surface access to the Airport and on the transport infrastructure of the surrounding area.

Existing and Future Markets

BIA’s current European scheduled network has comprehensive coverage, with over fifty direct routes to all major business destinations.  On some of the highest volume routes, such as Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin, competing airlines offer up to 14 daily departures, with a range of fares and service levels to suit both business and leisure travellers.

The ‘no-frills’ carriers have revolutionised the European travel market, forcing established airlines to refocus on cost reduction.  The largest airlines at BIA are now ‘no-frills’ airlines and most passenger growth comes from this sector.

Target European markets in the medium-term include Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, North Africa and Croatia.

In the long-haul market, BIA offer direct flights to New York, Dubai and the India Subcontinent, supplemented by connecting services via European hubs such as Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.

Onward connections via New York (to North America) and Dubai (Australia, Far East, India), are an increasingly important part of BIA’s business, providing an alternative to making a journey by road or rail to Heathrow.

Target long-haul markets include other North American hubs, the Caribbean and the Far East.  Heathrow is almost at capacity and an increased demand for flights from BIA is expected in the longer-term.

The overall strategy of BIA is to increasingly satisfy the demand for air travel from within the region.  Only 40% of the passengers from within one hour's travelling time of BIA currently depart from the Airport.  The remainder travel outside the region to the London airports, Manchester or East Midlands to catch their flight.

This ‘lost’ 60% generates a significant volume of long surface journeys, mainly by car.  As the choice of services from BIA continues to grow the proportion of the regional market that BIA satisfies will increase.

National and Regional Context

A number of studies and policy documents have recently been completed which will provide the context for the further development of the Airport and its surface transport links.

The West Midlands Area Multi Modal Study reported in Summer 2001 and identified infrastructure close to the Airport as being amongst the priorities for investment, including widening of the M42 between junctions 3 and 7 and the West Coast main line through the West Midlands, which would enable a Regional Express Rail Network (RER) to serve BIA, comprising more frequent, faster and higher quality trains.  These proposals were included in the Regional Transport Strategy within the Regional Spatial Strategy (formerly RPG11).  This looks to create a modern, efficient and cohesive transport network capable of serving the needs of both individuals and the business community in an environmentally friendly manner.  Within this context, the strategy recognises the role BIA plays, as a gateway to the region, in providing links to Europe and a range of longer distance destinations for the business community and incoming and outgoing leisure travellers.

The Government also recognises the role that airports have as key interchanges and major employers and sees that improving access to them by public transport is essential in order to reduce congestion and pollution on nearby roads.  In view of the potential traffic generation associated with airports, it is essential that the needs of surface access to airports should be considered as part of the wider transport strategy for the area.

The Airport is located immediately adjacent to Birmingham International Railway Station that provides excellent connections to the whole of the region and beyond.  Plans of the major rail operators will further enhance this accessibility.

Centro has published proposals for the third phase of the Midland Metro network that includes a route between the Airport and Birmingham City Centre via the A45 Coventry Road.  The detailed proposals for the alignment of this route will be affected by long term plans for the Airport and the new Airport Master Plan.

Consultation

The Airport Company is represented on both the Business Community Forum and the Transport Providers’ Forum and has therefore been significantly involved with the revision of the LTP.  It is currently carrying out consultation on its draft Airport Master Plan Review.  Airport Surface Access issues did not feature in the 2004 and 2005 LTP2 consultations because they are multi-modal.

Airport Transport Forum

In accordance with the 1997 Transport White Paper, the Airport Company has set up an Airport Transport Forum (ATF).  It meets twice a year and is attended by about fifty people, representing a wide range of organisations with an interest in surface transport to the Airport.  There are also three sub-groups that meet more frequently to consider, in more detail, issues relating to rail services, bus services and cycling.

The Surface Access Strategy

BIA has always promoted itself as having easy access by all means of transport.  However, there has been evidence that some of the potential market within the north and north west of the region is discouraged from using BIA due to the increasing levels of congestion encountered en route.  In terms of road based travel, this relates primarily to the M6  corridor.  The M6 Toll motorway, opened in December 2003, has considerably improved access to BIA.  Ease of access can also be compromised when the NEC is holding a major exhibition.  The Airport Company and NEC management work in partnership, and with the MATTISSE Consortium, to introduce measures to alleviate some of the problems encountered at these times.

In accordance with the 1997 Transport White Paper, the Airport Company has published its Surface Access Strategy (SAS), in conjunction with the NEC.  The SAS sets out the strategic framework within which the two companies intend to address the transportation needs up to the end of 2005.  It promotes a balanced approach such that the accessibility of both sites are improved, to facilitate the predicted growth in a manner that minimises environmental impact and encourages the use of modes other than the car.

The current SAS is based on a number of objectives, which are wholly compatible with those included in the LTP.  The strategy consists of both major infrastructure projects and a variety of smaller measures.  The implementation of all the measures combine to improve the overall accessibility of the site, with particular emphasis being given to the enhancement and promotion of public transport, thereby ensuring that all visitors to the site have a realistic choice of transport for their journey.  The objective of the SAS are as follows:

• Accessibility – To improve the overall accessibility of the Airport and NEC and to provide a realistic choice of transport for all visitors and staff that mirrors the 24-hour operations on the site
• Environment – To reduce the impact of Airport and NEC related traffic on people and the built and natural environment in the surrounding area
• Integration – To ensure that the Surface Access Strategy improves integration within and between travel modes and is wholly compatible with the wider objectives of the Airport and NEC
• Inclusion – To ensure that the barriers that currently restrict the mobility of disabled people are removed and to provide enhanced public transport facilities and services that reduce social exclusion
• Economy – For the Airport and NEC to fulfil their potential contribution to the regional economy, whilst ensuring that development, and in particular the surface access requirements, are met in the most sustainable manner.

However, with a plan period to 2005, the existing SAS is due to be reviewed and updated.  An earlier revision of the SAS was deferred by the Airport Company, whilst the Airport Master Plan Review process was being undertaken, but the Airport Company will prepare a new SAS in 2006.  It will be prepared in conjunction with key stakeholders (including the NEC) but, whilst it will be consistent with the new Master Plan, it will look at a shorter plan period than the new Master Plan, to 2011 or 2012.  Following a period of consultation with key stakeholders, it is the Airport Company's intention to produce a new SAS before the end of 2006.

Existing Modal Share

Continuous surveys are undertaken to give an overall picture of the travel patterns and characteristics of BIA passengers, staff and visitors.  In 2004, the public transport modal share was 15.6%.  Although the public transport share has fluctuated in recent years, this is the highest proportion observed since 1996.

In 1996, the Airport Company entered into a planning (Section 106) obligation to use its best endeavours to increase the public transport modal share to 20% by 2005 or when the number of air passengers is 10 million per annum, if this is after 2005.  Similarly, the NEC has a Section 106 obligation to increase the public transport modal share of its staff to 20% by 2005.  It should be recognised that as the Airport expands, public transport access increases in absolute terms year on year even though the % share has remained relatively stable.

The Government's White Paper commends close working with the Strategic Rail Authority, the Highways Agency and regional stakeholders to develop a robust strategy for improving surface access with a long-term aim of achieving a 25% public transport modal share.

Integration

It can be seen from the above that the Airport has the potential to offer an interchange facility that not only serves the Airport and air passengers, but also provides a gateway to other national and regional destinations by rail, coach and bus.

Therefore, whilst aircraft as a mode of travel can only fulfil the national and international travel needs of the area, the Airport as an interchange can offer much more to the metropolitan area and the region as whole.

Similarly, in view of the local improvements to bus services supported by the Airport and the promotion of the Travelwise scheme, the Airport can support the LTP objectives to a much greater degree.  Furthermore, if a greater proportion of the West Midlands air travel market, which currently use airports in the south east, was to fly from BIA, then the overall level of surface transport would be reduced.  Arguably, by increasing its accessibility by public transport, the Airport can help to support the sustainable transport patterns objective of the LTP.

Table 1 ‘Relationship between Measures and the Objectives’ illustrates how the specific measures that are within the Airport’s current plan contribute to the objectives within both the LTP and the Surface Access Strategy.

Projects and Programmes

Major Projects

The Airport’s current expansion programme has included a number of major projects, costing in the region of £30 million, the majority of which have been financed by the Airport Company.  These schemes, which are largely complete, significantly improved facilities for public transport users to and from the site.

These schemes are described below:

• A45 Access Roads – The new dedicated inbound and outbound access roads to and from the A45, Coventry Road, provides improved links to junction 6 of the M42.  The new access roads opened in April 2002, at a cost £11 million which was wholly funded by the Airport Company
• Air- Rail Link – The Air-Rail ink people mover opened in March 2003, replacing the former 'Maglev' connection between the Airport and Railway Station.  The project cost £11 million and was funded primarily by the Airport, with a £910,000 contribution from European  (TENS) funds
• Birmingham International Interchange – The Interchange was also opened in March 2003.  It provides a high quality facility dedicated to the transfer of people between air, rail and bus.  The scheme incorporates the rail terminus of the Air-Rail Link.  The project was a public / private partnership costing £7 million.  The Airport Company managed and contributed significantly to the project although the majority funding came through the LTP Integrated transport block allocations
• Bus and Coach Station – A high quality Bus and Coach Terminus opened in September 2004 on Concorde Road adjacent to the short stay surface car park.  This scheme was a replacement for an earlier proposal for a bus and coach station on the site of the car park.  The second phase of the Scheme, which is due to be completed in 2005, includes covered walkways to both Terminals 1 and 2.  This scheme has provided enhanced waiting and information facilities for bus users at the heart of the Airport site.  The total project cost is £500,000 and is being wholly funded by the Airport Company

Separate from the Airport’s programme is the proposed Midland Metro network expansion, referred to elsewhere.  The Airport would be connected to the proposed Metro extension via the Air-Rail Link and the new Interchange.

Other Projects

A series of public transport guides have been published and are regularly updated.  These focus on public transport services to the Airport.  These and other timetables are displayed at a number of public transport information points that have been established in the passenger terminals.  Further improvements to public transport information are planned in Terminal 1 during 2005.

The Airport Company provides financial support to help establish new bus services.  The Company has worked in partnership with other public and private sector organisations to establish the 966 bus route linking north and south Solihull via the Airport and the experimental demand responsive day & night service, the 'Buster Werkenbak', for staff in east Birmingham and north Solihull.  Other services that have benefited from support include the Birmingham - Coventry (900), Birmingham - Airport (37A), Atherstone - Airport (777) and Nuneaton - Airport (717) services.

Rail services are very important for access to the Airport, especially for air passengers.  Although the level of service to the Airport is constrained by capacity constraints, new trains have been introduced on Virgin Cross Country services (in 2002) and Virgin West Coast services to London (in 2004).  Completion of a new crossover at Birmingham International Station, during 2005, will see the introduction of a new pattern of local trains that should provide a more regular and reliable service.  New trains are also to be introduced on these services during 2005.

The Airport Company recognises the potential to increase the amount of cycling to the Airport particularly for staff, about 40% of whom live within 5 miles of the Airport.  The Company is working in partnership with Birmingham and Solihull Councils and the sustainable transport charity Sustrans to improve access for cyclists to the Airport site.  As part of the new A45 Access Roads Scheme, a new segregated cycle route has been established across the A45, avoiding a number of busy roundabouts, and along the B4438 to Catherine-de-Barnes.  This route will be incorporated into Route 53 of the National Cycle Network, linking Birmingham and Coventry via the Airport, and providing better access to the Airport from the north and the south.  A new route has also been completed across Sheldon Country Park and a scheme is in preparation to provide an improved link into the Airport and the railway station (funded by the Airport Company).  The Company has also provided free cycle storage and clothing lockers and showers to encourage more staff to cycle.