Sky's the limit

Brighton and Hove City Council is expected to agree a five-year spending programme which includes an extension to the terminal.

New services to the Channel Islands and the south of France have proved so popular, their commercial operators are considering adding extra flights.

A passenger terminal building for scheduled services passenger check-in, departure, arrival, baggage handling, customs, immigration and police has been proposed to the

east of the existing terminal building.

These plans are not connected to the controversial scheme to find a private partner to fund an extension to the airstrip.

But environmentalists claim the cash, which would have to be borrowed, is a waste of money.

Shoreham Airport is owned jointly by the city council and Worthing Borough Council and the spending programme will have to be agreed by both authorities.

Shoreham Airport Owners Board chairman, councillor Don Turner, said: "Most of this money is for essential work. There is a possibility commercial airlines will expand their services at the airport which would mean there is not enough space in the terminal for security and baggage handling."

But councillor Keith Taylor, the city council's Green group convener, said the 1million investment was a waste of cash.

"Shoreham Airport is already 4million in debt, which is why councillor Turner wants to turn it into a city airport and sell it. He believes this is the only we can recoup this money. Each time we keep borrowing, this overall debt is going to increase. We have to stop throwing good money after bad. We should sell the airport before it costs us even more money."

Mr Turner confirmed the airport's debt was somewhere between 3.6million and 3.8millon and there was an argument for selling it. "The idea of the consultation exercise has come about and we do not want to use council taxpayers' money if this debt becomes serviceable. If the debt repayments do increase, we will have to start increasing council tax, and we are not prepared to do that, so we are looking at our options."

The spending plan includes 80,000 in the next financial year to build the extension for the terminal. A total of 210,000 is earmarked to be spent in the coming financial year, with the highest spending coming in 2008, at 235,000 over 12 months.

A new air traffic control system will cost 100,000 along with baggage handling equipment, which will cost another 100,000.

Airport business has been boosted since last summer by airline Rockhopper, which operates regular scheduled flights to Jersey, Alderney, Le Havre and Le Touquet. Another airline, Euro Exec, also operates scheduled services from the airport to Jersey, Guernsey, Le Touquet and Rouen.