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‘Give our balloon the space to soar’
8:47am Tuesday 20th May 2008
Comments (21)
THE firm behind a proposed passenger-carrying balloon for Southampton has urged aviation authorities to ease "unreal" rules about the height it can fly.
Southampton Airport owners BAA blocked plans to float the tethered helium-filled balloon up to 400ft above Andrews Park insisting it would compromise the safety of aircraft flying as low as 5,000ft over the city centre.
However, it has emerged that BAA made no objection to a 276ft high hotel that will be built just yards away in East Park Terrace.
Alastair Gunning, director of Lindstrand Aerial Platforms, said he still hoped to persuade the Civil Aviation Authority to give him clearance to fly near to the originally proposed height to provide passengers with 25-mile panoramic views. A similar attraction in Bournemouth flies up to 500ft - although is not on approach path for Bournemouth Airport.
Mr Gunning said: "We are in a somewhat grey area. We are not a building; we are an aircraft and will have markings at night.
"If a plane is going to be flying as low as 400ft it's probably going to hit a building. The whole thing is thoroughly unreal."
Mr Gunning said plans to launch the balloon this summer had already been derailed. He said he wanted to anchor the balloon in Andrews Park because it was well used and would provide the best views of the city.
Councillors and tourism chiefs seeking a wow factor for the city have backed the balloon, dubbed the Southampton Eye.
Tory council leaders offered to help find another location if the safety row cannot be resolved.
Councillor Phil Williams, the Cabinet member responsible for parks, said: "We would be happy to help them look at other possible locations. It's something that is worth exploring."
Cllr Williams added that Mayflower Park might be an option.
John Hannides, Cabinet member for leisure and culture, said the balloon was exactly the kind of idea the Tories were keen to encourage.
He added: "However we must be mindful of the safety issues that are relevant to any proposal that comes forward."
BAA said the hotel would be a "substantially lower height" than the balloon and met "strict safety criteria laid down by the Civil Aviation Authority". However, a spokesman could not confirm the exact safe height for the proposed site.
A CAA spokesman said it was for airports to interpret its guidelines locally.
Your Say YourThis is Hampshire
hulla, baloo says...
8:58am Tue 20 May 08
Adrian Smith, says...
9:22am Tue 20 May 08
hmm wrote:NO.
Who actually wants this Post YES or NO Also how high is this in routemaster buses?
Height in Routemasters is 27.8.
Fred, says...
9:24am Tue 20 May 08
Perhaps because it is not as high as 400ft?
Mike, Southampton says...
10:08am Tue 20 May 08
Can't Southampton come up with something original?
How about tethering one of the pompous windbags on the council and float them up to 5000ft and see if a passing plane would hit them!
The yawner, says...
10:17am Tue 20 May 08
Fred wrote:And hotels don't float upwards if their rope breaks.
"However, it has emerged that BAA made no objection to a 276ft high hotel that will be built just yards away in East Park Terrace" Perhaps because it is not as high as 400ft?
gorf, SOTON says...
10:18am Tue 20 May 08
What a great idea
Do planes fly over andrews park then?
Ed, Freemantle says...
10:39am Tue 20 May 08
2. This idea is being put forward by a private company, not the council. Although they are supporting it. Perhaps the new council will be a little more pro-active than the last.
3. It is the Echo that perpetuates all this hype about a 'wow factor' (and keeps people obsessed with an ice rink). It's not a 'wow factor' in itself, nor is it original, but it is something new for the city. If a developer was to read all the comments on here, they'd assume Southampton was a city of moaners who were against any investment in the place - no wonder 'nothing changes'.
Roger, Wickham says...
10:49am Tue 20 May 08
fingers crossed!
hmm, says...
10:51am Tue 20 May 08
2 no
so far...
Fred, says...
11:03am Tue 20 May 08
hmm wrote:NO.
3 yes 2 no so far...
James, here says...
11:59am Tue 20 May 08
Gilmore, Shirley, Southampton says...
12:27pm Tue 20 May 08
That's a YES from me.
saints lad, allbrook says...
1:48pm Tue 20 May 08
see no reason why not
won't affect anything
ledg, says...
1:56pm Tue 20 May 08
what a waste of money and what a spectacular view you're going to get of crapy southampton
Tony, Southampton says...
1:57pm Tue 20 May 08
"If a plane is going to be flying as low as 400ft it's probably going to hit a building."
But not a building in Southampton where the tallest one is currently 240 feet high (Millbrook Towers).
Matt, in a Tiss says...
2:01pm Tue 20 May 08
NO
Paula, marchwood says...
2:25pm Tue 20 May 08
Yes
del boy, southampton says...
8:58pm Tue 20 May 08
what a waste of council tax payers money as usual by our council.
what on earth is there to see or look at when your in the air in this balloon ?
lets look at all the drunks & wineo's in the park , lets look at the parks where it's too dangerous to ever walk through at night ! lets look at some drug dealers & drug deals going down in the parks.
what a complete waste of time & money.
can they use stem cell research to create some brain-cells for the councillors at the southampton city council so that they have some to use because it's obvious no brain-cells were used in the thinking process of this balloon idea. i dont want my council tax money spent on this load of rubbish.
Gilmore, Shirley, Southampton says...
9:06pm Tue 20 May 08
del boy wrote:It's being set up and operated by a private company?
not this balloon hype again ?
what a waste of council tax payers money as usual by our council.
what on earth is there to see or look at when your in the air in this balloon ?
lets look at all the drunks & wineo\'s in the park , lets look at the parks where it\'s too dangerous to ever walk through at night ! lets look at some drug dealers & drug deals going down in the parks.
what a complete waste of time & money.
can they use stem cell research to create some brain-cells for the councillors at the southampton city council so that they have some to use because it\'s obvious no brain-cells were used in the thinking process of this balloon idea. i dont want my council tax money spent on this load of rubbish.
Bowmore, Southampton says...
9:03pm Wed 21 May 08
It would good addition to Southampton's attractions. I'm sure there would be lost of interesting views.
There will be no cost to tax payers and if it does not not prove popular it is easily remvode.
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hmm, says...
8:49am Tue 20 May 08
Post YES or NO
Also how high is this in routemaster buses?