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LibDems will not support any Airport Expansion proposals !
May 27, 2009 8:00 PM
Liberal Democrats maintain their commitment to and support for Southend Airport and would wish to see it successful, providing and retaining jobs and providing the community of Southend with the benefit of access to the rest of the world, but subject to any last minute responses to their questions will oppose any airport expansion recommendations.
LibDem policy nationally is not to build any new runway capacity in the South East. However the local Council Group must take cognisance of the current position and state of play between the Airport owners and the local Council which is covered and governed by a 150 year lease between the two. To date though the Airport has failed to answer the questions which could, subject to serious conditions and restrictions, allow us consider improved runway access to the benefit of the residents and control of night flying.
The recent planning "land-use" consultations which finished on Friday 15th May, have been a farce - non delivery of consultation documents, the need to redeliver consultation documents, inaccessible and difficult on-line consultations and finally an extension of the time period to cover all the blunders. All this time the airport expansion proposals have clouded the "land use" proposals at a time when the airport management has not been in a position to give satisfactory answers to important questions about its proposed future possible operation/expansion.
Whereas the land use consultations will be discussed as soon as the consultation is complete, ready for further consultation in July/August many of the questions asked by the Liberal Democrats, will not be able to be given until other involved parties have completed their own reviews. An example of this would be the Civil Aviation Authority review of the PSZ. (Public Safety Zone) or even the Noise Action Plan NAP the government expect them to produce.
PSZ's, which can be reduced as well as increased, are reviewed on a regular basis by the CAA and Southend Airport is in the process of being reviewed currently. Unfortunately the outcome of the review will not be available until the middle of July - too late for being included in the current consultation round. There are many other areas - the level of night activity - we would like answers to but these are subject to negotiation and also will not be available in time. The NAP will not be ready before the end of July!
The Liberal Democrat Council Group is therefore calling for the Airport to be withdrawn from the consultation process leaving the Airport exactly as it is, until it is in a position to produce a full proposition which can be looked at and discussed in the light of day and without rancour or emotional and unfounded accusations being made.
Cllr Graham Longley says on behalf of the LD Group that "the current consultation should proceed without the Airport element so that we will have a planning "use of land" document which Southend Council can put on record and used to support or reject planning developments. We further believe that a new consultation should take place after a period of time when a complete package can be presented for full, proper, and accessible consultation -
when the Airport can put before the town's residents a package of proposals which would enable them to make an informed decision. Local residents will also by then have had the experience of the airport operating under its new owner and be aware of whether the Airport is or could be a good neighbour. It is important that all outstanding questions are in a position to be answered.
Liberal Democrats had asked questions about
1 Night Flying
2 Number of extra vehicles on local roads
3 Whether the new jobs would be for local people
4 Number of flights and timing
5 The effect on Eastwoodbury Lane
6 Environmental help for improvement of residents affected (double-glazing)
7 Effect on traffic management and
8 Possible Priory Crescent road replacement
"Whilst all these questions remain unanswered the LibDem Council group will not support any Airport expansion proposals in the near future." said Cllr Graham Longley Group Leader. "Any new planning applications will of course be considered on their merit subject to a fresh approach."
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