Southend Airport plan: Government intervenes with Article 14 Direction
19.1.2010 (Southend Standard)
THE expansion of Southend Airport will not go ahead without the authorisation of a Government minister, it has been announced
Communities Secretary John Denham has issued an Article 14 Direction about the planning application to extend the runway at London Southend Airport.
The effect of the direction is to prevent Southend Council granting planning permission on the application without his authorisation.
The application will still be considered at Development Control Committee at 2pm tomorrow.
If the committee decides to approve the application this decision will be frozen until either:
- The Secretary of State decides that he will not intervene and sends the application back to the council, in which case the decision notice will be issued
- the Secretary of State decides to call-in the application for his determination, in which case there will be a Public Inquiry.
FULL STORY AND REACTION IN WEDNESDAY'S ECHO
Some local comments:
With the announcement that the Secretary of State has issued an Article 14 Direction, there is now considerable media interest in the DCC meeting tomorrow. BBC Look East want to get some footage for their programme tomorrow evening at 6:30. Members of SAEN will therefore be doing a photo opportunity for the press at 10:30am. The Echo will also be there.
I am all for a professional planning expert to take a look at and complete a
review of SOS council officers recommendations to the development committee.
If as I suspect the council officers have given a complete backing for the plan
without any areas of concerns raised or any cautionary narrative on any of the
objector’s issues mentioned, I think they are more than negligent.
Today JAL the Japanese Flag carrier airline filed for bankruptcy protection, whatever the outcome for the airline (I expect it will be saved at all costs by the Japanese Government) the financial outlook for the biggest airlines is bleak. For the Officers of SOS council to simply ignore the international recession in air transport as an irrelevancy in considering this proposal when even the UK Government’s own future assessments of air passenger capacity is being revised down, frankly it goes much further than just a lack of diligence. It goes to the council conspiring with the developer.
(19th January 2010)
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