A SURVEY of the public’s views on the future of Southend Airport will not be published until after the council’s decision on the expansion plans.

It means Southend Council’s planning committee will not be able to take the information into account when making its decision about extending the runway.

Rochford District Council and Southend Council asked the public what they wanted to see at the airport, with four possible options ranging from a major expansion to doing nothing.

The survey, called the Joint Area Action Plan, was due to be published last month, but there have been several delays and it will be published in February.

However, the development control committee will vote on the extension in January.

Keith Hudson, Rochford district councillor in charge of planning, said: “We had a brief meeting of the two councils and it was decided not to go any further with the Joint Area Action Plan until after the decision on the runway extension.

“The decision could have a major impact on what is going to happen in the future and without the runway extension, some of the options could not go forward at all. We cannot go any further forward until we know the decision and whether there will have to be a public inquiry about it.”

However, Graham Longley, Lib Dem group leader on Southend Council, said the results of the survey should have been published before a decision was made about the runway.

He said: “I realise the two issues are not the same but they are very much linked in the minds of the public.”

Denis Walker, spokesman for the pressure group Stop Airport Extension Now, said: “We feel the results of the Joint Area Action Plan should have been properly discussed before the planning application was considered at all.”