Medway Council says Thames airport ‘completely wrong’
Date added: 8 January, 2010
8.1.2010 (BBC)
Plans by London’s mayor to build an airport on an artificial island in the Thames
estuary have been branded “pie in the sky” by Medway Council.
A feasibility review approved by the council’s cabinet says Boris Johnson’s plan
is “completely wrong”.
It says the airport would be some 60 miles from London and would be like moving
Manchester Airport to Leeds.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman has said the mayor believes the airport would be extremely
valuable to London.
The mayor has set up a Thames Estuary Steering Group, including members from
industry, business and from across the political spectrum to look into the airport,
which would cost at least £40bn.
Migrating birds
Medway’s feasibility review says that, if built, the airport would be in an area
where aircraft would be 12 times more at risk of bird strike than any other major
UK airport.
It would harm Sites of Special Scientific Interest and other areas used by hundreds
of thousands of migrating birds annually.
It says it would be too close to Thamesport, where ships unload cargoes of liquid
natural gas.
And it raises concerns that a new airport would encourage air travel and create
a need for major road and rail links which would harm Medway’s landscape.
Online petition
Medway Council is campaigning to stop the airport, with Kent County Council and
the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
It started a joint online petition last year.
Mr Johnson believes the estuary airport is an alternative to government plans
to build a third runway at Heathrow.
Last year he released a feasibility study by Doug Oakervee, who helped construct
a similar airport in Hong Kong, which came out in favour of the idea.
The steering group will oversee further study and research on issues such as
energy, flood management, transport, ecology and regeneration.
“Boris Island” airport in the Thames Estuary – petition London Mayor Boris Johnson is still keen to push on with plans for this crazy
scheme, for a massive 5 runway airport on recaimed land. It would have serious
consequences for wildlife and ruin irreplaceable habitat for migrating birds.
Suitable substitute areas are not available for them. People in north Kent are
very worried about the dreadful prospect of a mega-airport on their doorstep,
so Medway Council and Kent County Council have started a campaign to get opposition
to any plans to build this monster. It is not a matter of either expanding Heathrow,
or having Boris Island, or indeed having any other runways at London airports.
They should all be opposed, strenuously.Sign the petition against the airport at Stop Estuary Airport petition See the RSPB statement on the proposed airport |
Posted: Friday, January 8th, 2010. Filed in News about Airports.
