Durham Tees Valley Airport bosses to have Highways Agency meeting
04.02.06
Durham Tees Valley Airport bosses are set to meet road chiefs next week in a row over a vital new road junction. Airport owner Peel Airports have outlined £20m expansion plans for Durham Tees Valley - but they depend on the Highways Agency investing in a new junction on the A66 to handle airport traffic.
Airport managers submitted their original planning application, along with a traffic assessment, based on the assumption that the junction at Longnewton would be built first. However the agency has asked for a new traffic assessment based on the junction not getting built.
Richard Whitehouse, airport commercial manager, said: 'Why are they asking us to submit a revised traffic assessment? From our point of view, there's a contradiction, so we are seeking clarification on that point.'
A Highways Agency spokeswoman confirmed that work on the junction was due to begin during the 2006/07 financial year and said it hoped to resolve outstanding issues at next week's meeting.
The agency said it has asked for the new traffic assessment because, until contracts are signed for work on the junction to go ahead, it is 'duty bound'to consider the airport's planning application not only on the basis of what infrastructure is expected to be in place, but also on the basis of current infrastructure.
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