Statement from DFID’s Overseas Territories Department 9th April 2009
ON 8TH DECEMBER 2008, THE UK GOVERNMENT STUNNED ST HELENA BY ANNOUNCING A ‘PAUSE’ IN THE AIRPORT NEGOTIATIONS, JUST DAYS BEFORE THE CONTRACT WAS DUE TO BE SIGNED. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENT ON 16TH MARCH SAYING THAT IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT GLOBAL ECONOMIC CLIMATE, A DECISION HAD BEEN MADE TO HOLD A CONSULTATION ON OPTIONS FOR ACCESS TO THE ISLAND.
THE UK DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DFID) HAS NOW RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT AND A ‘CONSULTATION DOCUMENT’ (which can be found in the links below the statement).
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Statement from DFID’s Overseas Territories Department 9th April 2009
The Overseas Territory of St Helena is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world and can only be reached by sea.
Current access arrangements, via the Government-subsidised Royal Mail Ship St Helena, limit the prospects for sustainable economic growth.
In March 2005, the Government announced its intention to establish air access for St. Helena. However, since May 2007, when the Government re-tendered the contract to design, build and operate an airport for the island, the financial climate has changed dramatically. It is against this background that the Government announced on 8 December 2008 that it would be pausing the negotiations on the St Helena Airport.
Whilst remaining committed to ensuring that access to the island should not be reduced, we needed to consider whether the building of an airport was the most appropriate choice in these rapidly changing circumstances.
For more information, please see the documents linked below.
Consultation
Consultation Annex
Consultation Summary
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Posted on 9 April 2009
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