Lands End Airport re-opens today with hard runway surfaces.

 Everybody will be pleased to hear today that Lands End Runway has re-opened with hard surfaces ready for use.  You can read the Scilly Today item here.

 The IOSSCO has received a lot of 'flak' over the timing of the work but it is unjustified given the circumstances.  The IOSC were in the 'last chance saloon' with regards to getting this work completed with EU funds covering 50% of the costs (IOSSCO is funding the remainder).  The current ERDF tranch expires in 2015 and the new tranche is not earmarked for infrastructure.  The work could not be completed much earlier in the year because Brussells only confirmed that the project complied with 'state aid rules' in May 2014 (it was a UK Govt requirement that IOSC obtained written confirmation in advance of the work starting).  As the IOSC carries the financial risk there was a need to avoid doing this work in the winter because of the extra costs and risks involved.

The IOSC is to be complemented on delivering this proejct and the IOSSCO complemented on investing another £1.3 million in improved infrastructure.  The project does not at a stroke solve the islands' transport problem but it is a very important and welcome improvement.

Comment

The delay in the project was not due to high summer temperature but due to the 'formula' used to make the base layer of the runway.  The layer was not sufficiently strong and had to be reworked to meet the necessay specification.