§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has about the plans for the development of Sheffield airport by Glenlivet. [24408]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordMy Department has received detailed information from the Sheffield development corporation about the plans for the development of Sheffield airport by Glenlivet. This is currently under consideration.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice and evaluation were available to him between 1989 and the present of the possibility that companies in the Budge group or successor companies to the contract could gain the benefit and profit of opencasting at Tinsley, Sheffield, without fulfilling180W commitments to provide infrastructure for an airport on the site. [24410]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordMy predecessors were aware that there was no contractual linkage between the opencasting operation and the provision of infrastructure for and construction of the airport.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he became aware that the guarantee given by A. F. Budge Mining for the construction of Sheffield airport would not be honoured. [24412]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe guarantee, or surety, for the construction of Sheffield Airport, was held by A. F. Budge Ltd., rather than A. F. Budge (Mining). My Department became aware that A. F. Budge Ltd. would not be in a position to support the airport development when the administrative receivers were appointed to it in December 1992.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conditions requiring work towards the construction of an airport at Tinsley, Sheffield, were contained in the original planning application for opencasting awarded to British Coal Opencast; and what conditions in relation to such work were contained in the agreement between British Coal Opencast and A F Budge (Mining) Ltd. [24414]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe planning permission awarded to British Coal for Opencasting at Tinsley contained the following conditions relating to the construction of an airport.
- i. the construction of a road linking the site to the existing road network
- ii. the site to be reclaimed
- iii. specific parts of the site to be compacted and made suitable for use as an airport
- iv. drainage outfall to be provided for the site.
My Department was not party to the terms of agreement between British Coal and A F Budge (Mining) for the opencast mining of the site.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will have to give approval before any proposals to develop an airport at Tinsley, Sheffield, are agreed to. [24416]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordYes.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has obtained of past or present connections or involvement between Glenlivet and any of its directors and RJB Mining or A F Budge Ltd, or any of their subsidiaries or any of the directors; [24418]
(2) what information he has received on the involvement by RJB Mining or any of its directors in the scheme to develop an airport at Tinsley, Sheffield, proposed by Glenlivet. [24419]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe only information I have about connections between the directors and the companies mentioned is that a former director of three subsidiary companies of A F Budge Ltd. is currently advising Glenlivet on the aviation elements of its airport proposals.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much public money to date has been spent on the infrastructure for the Sheffield airport site at Tinsley; and how much more is committed in the future. [24409]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordSheffield development corporation has spent £95,000 on the design of 181W infrastructure for the Tinsley site for airport and other development.
In addition, British Coal has spent £1.9 million providing access to the site and has committed £25,000 to provide site drainage. British Coal will also be providing a drainage outfall for the site which is expected to cost in the region of £500,000.
There are plans for a further £5 million of expenditure on roads and drainage funded by Industrial Development Act grants, European funding and the Sheffield development corporation.
All of the infrastructure provided at Tinsley park will benefit commercial development in addition to a proposed airport.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he became aware that the guarantee to construct Sheffield airport and the right to opencast the site of Tinsley were invested in separate companies and were not mutually enforceable; when he was officially notified of the separation; and when he gave approval to such a separation. [24413]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordMy Department was notified in December 1991 of the proposed company restructuring which would separate the mining and airport construction interests within the A F Budge group. No approval was required from my Department.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial checks he intends to make of the financial viability of the scheme to develop an airport at Tinsley, Sheffield, proposed by Glenlivet. [24415]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordChecks on the financial viability of the Glenlivet scheme for the development of Sheffield airport will be carried out by the Sheffield development corporation.
§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has about the funding arrangement for the development of an airport at Tinsley, Sheffield, by Glenlivet. [24417]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordWe will wish to be assured that adequate funding will be available to secure the project.