Turn Bretonside into a new city heliport

“No good for a heliport. Too close to properties and shops. Ideal place would be the north of Plymouth, somewhere near like the main road that leads out onto the moors towards Yelverton. They could build a proper airport along this route somewhere maybe. There is plenty of countryside and they could provide buses to and fro the airport. Would create jobs and buses/taxis would make good money. (just a thought).”

“Early retirement means I am a leisure traveller these days but if you want to talk I am more than willing.Contact details?”

“@hstmtu4000 Was wondering whether you commute to London regularly? I'm working on a film about the South West's transport links to London and wanted to know whether we could speak to you about it? Thanks, Phil”

“As "Dunthiel" highlights Plymouth is unfortunately now viewed as almost uniquely peripheral in England both transport and business wise being stuck way out on the end of the South West peninsula on the wrong side of the granite mass of Dartmoor.Despite already having access to the rest of Britain via Exeter airport,a sub standard A38 and an inadequate 3 hour plus train service to London,Plymouth is still clearly loosing out economically to Exeter and points east as the University of Plymouths economics Professor Grapios interviewed on BBC "Spotlight" clearly stated the other day.
The M5 is never going to be extended to Plymouth and we will always remain another crucial hour by rail beyond Exeter unless there is massive rail infrastructure investment west of Exeter,most unlikely also.As "Dunthiel" has already said "Plymouth now sits at the bottom of the pile"
Even if there is only a small possibility of an airport in Plymouth providing a few key business air links we have to try because the consequences of hopelessly inadequate road and rail links on Plymouths already struggling economy in the 21st century does not not bare thinking about. I say "small" because given the huge investment that the Government is putting into the rail network nationally which is run by very powerful interest transport companies like First Group FGW) the Government is hardly going to prejudice an already financially troubled Rail Franchising system by "helping out" Plymouth airport at rails expense is it.End off.”

“"Leicester, Derby and Nottingham (all as big or bigger than Plymouth) have no airport of their own. They share East Midlands Airport. Coventry (also bigger than Plymouth) has no passenger flights to its airport with Birmingham the airport of choice for its citizens. Swansea (similar size to Plymouth) has no passenger flights to its small airport either with Cardiff the nearest."

In addition to the points raised by hstmtu4000, you are failing to take into account of the time and distance which you have to travel compared to other urban areas. Taking city center (to standardise) to airport times from the major travel planning sites:

Plymouth to Exeter Airport - Just over a 1 hour drive, 48 miles.

Leicester to East Midlands Airport - 33 minutes, 19 miles.
Derby to East Midlands Airport - 25 minutes, 15 miles.
Nottingham to East Midlands Airport - 27 minutes, 15 miles...

(It should also be noted that both Leicester and Nottingham have their own airports just 15 minutes from their respective city centres serving general and business aviation. Also in reality Exeter is not comparable to East Midlands Airport in terms of airline diversity, affordability or destinations offered. For an accurate comparison you would need to use Bristol, which is even further away from Plymouth.)

Sheffield to Doncaster Sheffield Airport - 28 miles, 45 minutes, (about to be reduced to half an hour when the link road opens.)
...Coventry to Birmingham - 11 miles, 20 minutes.
Swansea to Cardiff Airport - 41 miles, 56 minutes.

But as you acknowledged, the latter two both have their own airports handling general and business aviation on their doorsteps - so they are not entirely cut off.

I could go on as well listing all the UK places which benefit from considerably better connectivity... In terms of accessibility to air transport there are only three major urban areas of the UK which come anywhere near equaling Plymouth's isolation; Ipswich, Medway and Swindon. But all of these settlements are just over an hour or less from London by fast rail, and all are again around an hour from major hub airports - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted respectively. Plymouth now sits at the bottom of the pile; the airport always was our 'ace in the pack' when it came to connectivity.”

“"FromMendip".I have said this once before but it looks as though I will have to say it again anyway and in more detail.Comparing Plymouth to cities like Sheffield,Leicester, Derby and Nottingham in airport terms is completely irrelevant simply because they are all much closer to London,Britain's economic power house and the countries other major economic centres like Birmingham/Manchester/Leeds etc. London's St Pancras station as well as the London terminus of Eurostars 186mph trains to Europe is also crucially the London terminus of the Midland main line to Sheffield which also serves ,Leicester, Derby and Nottingham. Leicester is 1h 07m/1h27m from St Pancras London.
Derby is 1h31m/1h50m from St Pancras.
Nottingham is 1h 44m/1h 55m from St Pancras.
Sheffield is 2h 05m/2h 27m from St Pancras.
Compare that to Plymouths stagnating 30 year old 3 hour plus rail journey times to London Paddington or for that matter to Exeters 2 hour plus rail journey times to London Paddington.
Also the Government has recently announced that the Midland main line is to be electrified with a brand new fleet of electric trains which will speed things up further.
http://tinyurl.com/8gjmmp5

http://tinyurl.com/9mk23k9

Meanwhile Virgin trains electrified 125 mph West Coast main line from London Euston to Birmingham/Manchester/Liverpool/Glasgow is now providing 3 trains an hour between Euston and Manchester with a 2h 10m journey time thanks to £9billion odd of investment in upgraded infrastructure and new 140mph capable "tilting" trains
The £5billion electrification of the Great Western main line from London Paddington to Bristol/Cardiff/Swansea will also benefit from faster journey times thanks to a with a new fleet of 140mph capable electric trains from 2017.The Governments is also determined to push ahead with the £30billion plus HS2,the 225mph North/South very high speed rail line (it has the Prime Ministers and Chancellors backing). Meanwhile alarmingly we here in Plymouth will effectively see no real rail improvements for the foreseeable future as things stand apart from an one extra early train arrival from Paddington so there is little choice but to pursue the hope of some key business air links if we are still want to be taken seriously by the business world in the 21st century”

“WHAT? Who's going to use it? Anneka Rice?”

“@ nev, got it, right”

“Of course, let's gloss over the fact that Sheffield, Derby and the other cities you mention are in areas of high population concentration. It's not a valid comparison, no matter how many times the anti-airport brigade repeat it.

This so-called 'debate' is nothing of the sort. It consists of people whose minds are already made up, repeatedly shouting the same lies, assumptions and half-truths at each other for the sole purpose of writing the editor's lousy rag for him.”

“"The thought that a city the size of Plymouth is without an air link is unacceptable."

Sheffield is twice the size of Plymouth yet has no airport. It used to have a small city airport like Plymouth.

It now shares the oddly-named Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport with Doncaster (the former RAF Finningley site).

Leicester, Derby and Nottingham (all as big or bigger than Plymouth) have no airport of their own. They share East Midlands Airport. Coventry (also bigger than Plymouth) has no passenger flights to its airport with Birmingham the airport of choice for its citizens. Swansea (similar size to Plymouth) has no passenger flights to its small airport either with Cardiff the nearest.

I could go on.

Plymouth is not unique in this country in being a sizeable city without an airport. Why can the cities I mentioned above exist with having to use nearby airports yet Plymouth cannot?

If Derby, Nottingham and Leicester can share East Midlands Airport why can't Plymouth share Exeter Airport? Is the name the problem? Does Plymouth civic pride prevent it? Perhaps the owners would the change the name to something more inclusive such as Exeter-Plymouth Airport or Devon Airport? Would that help or is it really all about a vanity project?

Wanting one for civic pride, which is what it seems to be to many outsiders with an interest in the subject, is fine if the citizens asking for it are prepared to pay for it from their own resources and, more importantly, actually use it in the unlikely event that it re-opens.”