David Amess says an inquiry into controversial Southend Airport plan is needed (From Echo)
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David Amess says an inquiry into controversial Southend Airport plan is needed
10:40am Tuesday 15th December 2009 in
More stories about: Alastair Welch, Stobart Group, David Amess, Southend Airport
AN MP has called for a public inquiry into Southend Airport’s expansion plans.
Southend Council is due to vote on January 20 on a planning application for proposals to redevelop the airport.
But David Amess, Tory MP for Southend West, wants the Government to bypass the council and call in the plans for an inquiry and a Whitehall decision.
He said: “It is increasingly clear many local residents will not feel satisfied their concerns have been listened to by an impartial party, unless a public inquiry is held.
“Ever since proposals were announced to expand Southend Airport, many constituents have contacted me on a whole range of issues concerning those plans.
“I have kept in regular contact with those constituents and I have raised many of these issues with the owner of the airport, the local authority and with ministers.”
A public inquiry, chaired by a planning inspector, could be called, in any case, if the council rejected the proposals and owner the Stobart Group appealed to the Secretary of State.
Leigh Town Council also recently voted to ask Go East, the Government office for the East of England, to call in the application for an inquiry.
The town council has objected in writing to Southend Council because it fears a lack of a limit on passenger numbers could see many of the airport’s current light aircraft flights swapped to make room for larger passenger jets.
The airport’s management argues the runway extension would allow larger, more modern planes to land and increase the capacity to carry up to two million passengers a year by 2020.
Under the proposals, flights in and out of the airport could increase from 42,000 a year to about 53,300.
Comments(17)
j-w
says...
11:30am Tue 15 Dec 09
At least there is a use for the Jets to the population at large and they quickly clear the area.
Back the extension.
emcee
says...
11:41am Tue 15 Dec 09
DannyK86
says...
12:10pm Tue 15 Dec 09
Norman Stanley Fletcher
says...
5:19pm Tue 15 Dec 09
A public enquiry would be appalling - it would drag things out so the airport could not be developed in time for the 2012 Olympics, and it would cost a fortune.
Who else is looking to invest millions and millions of pounds in regenerating Southend? Cannot see a Q......?!
We should be welcoming this airport development with open arms and thanking our lucky stars for it .... not acting like idiots and driving it away
jeanhill
says...
5:23pm Tue 15 Dec 09
Southend people - and those short sighted fools at inSAEN - should wake up to the fact if we keeps acting like total idiots then Stobart might just go elsewhere and invest all that regenerating money into a town that is grateful and welcomes it....
Please please Denis and Co - SHHHHHH!!!!!! for all our sakes
BASILBRUSH
says...
5:44pm Tue 15 Dec 09
How many more consultations and discussions do we need on the small extension at the Tax payers expense.
They are not looking to built a new runway or airport. Just bring the existing one into the 21st century, so that we all can use and benefit from it.
So far Stobart group is investing 12m on the station and new Control tower. A controlled expansion will help drive the local economy, with little or no real difference to current traffic noise and levels.
thats less than half the traffic levels in its hey-days.
Discouraged
says...
6:33pm Tue 15 Dec 09
tophatdt
says...
7:10pm Tue 15 Dec 09
southendreb
says...
7:24pm Tue 15 Dec 09
jeanhill wrote:yes Jeanhill i doremember the marina. I also remember who was going to build it. and why they went bankrupt and why the plans were
Anybody remember the marina in the 70's? We acted like NIMBY idiots then and that development went to Brighton - a disaster. Southend people - and those short sighted fools at inSAEN - should wake up to the fact if we keeps acting like total idiots then Stobart might just go elsewhere and invest all that regenerating money into a town that is grateful and welcomes it.... Please please Denis and Co - SHHHHHH!!!!!! for all our sakes
thrown out. Do you beleive that stobbarts are going to pull out
if they dont get the runway. i very much doubt it
Hamiltonpicket
says...
7:37pm Tue 15 Dec 09
Again it has been shown that a very small percentage of the Southend, Rochford and Leigh population were moved to comment.
A public enquiry would be a waste of everyones time and money and delay things further.
The only people making issues confusing are SAEN.
Thames Gateway
says...
9:30pm Tue 15 Dec 09
This doesn't tell the whole story though -"
For once I agree with a few words he has written.
Fact is that without this extension, there is no incentive for the company to change the status quo, you know the one that has NO RESTRICTIONS on overall movement numbers (indeed the airport had over 100, 000 movements per annum in 1989), NO MEANINGFUL LIMITS on Night flights, NO RESTRICTIONS on noisier aircraft types, NO RESTRICTIONS on numbers of cargo flights to 10% of the total number movements, NO runway preference scheme, NO higher approach over Leigh, increased congestion and delays on Eastwoodbury Lane, etc, etc.
Fact is this is only a small local development - it has no place being called in to a planning inquiry - that would be a complete waste of public money and resources. Southend Council is professional enough to realise this; it is a shame that David aMess is not able to see beyond the end of his nose on this one.
As long as the correct processes have been followed and the population has been consulted, there are no grounds for going to an inquiry. As far as I have seen there have been umpteen opportunities all throughout the process for people to lodge their opinion, the Council has well gone above and beyond what it was required to do. The planning application has also been well drafted and has dealt with the vast majority of issues required to be addressed.
And as I said earlier, at the end of the day, this actually a minor development of just local interest, no more. There is no justification for a few vocal ill-informed nimbys, who have the ear of a running scared MP, to derail the process over nothing at all of substance.
Come on now! Lets get on with it- the town is crying out for jobs now - just do it!
tophatdt
says...
7:53am Wed 16 Dec 09
Nebs
says...
11:23am Wed 16 Dec 09
leighman
says...
12:06pm Wed 16 Dec 09
11:23am Wed 16 Dec 09
I prefer the Boris idea of an airport in the estuary. More jobs, more transport infrastructure, more destinations. Everyones a winner.
With your love of 'fishing' I have doubted it!
leighman
says...
12:09pm Wed 16 Dec 09
11:23am Wed 16 Dec 09
I prefer the Boris idea of an airport in the estuary. More jobs, more transport infrastructure, more destinations. Everyones a winner.
With your love of 'fishing' I would never have doubted it!
southendmechanic
says...
3:07pm Wed 16 Dec 09
Denis Walker wrote:If you dont like it denis MOVE!!!! all you do when anything is suggested in southend is start protesting. we wanted the road widened (i live very very near you) in priory cresent. we want the airport my jobs future depends on southend becoming a bigger commercial area. this will bring jobs lots of them. stobarts are a good company with a good track record. you dont listen to reasoning or fair comment so get lost and stop putting people off of southend to spend and invest their money in. we want change in southend for our futures i suggest if you dont like it clacton is very nice or frinton on sea
"Under the proposals, flights in and out of the airport could increase from 42,000 a year to about 53,300." This doesn't tell the whole story though - it makes a huge difference what those 42,000 flights are. At the moment they are mostly the flying clubs and small private jets and not large passenger jets on daily scheduled flights.
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Denis Walker says...
10:58am Tue 15 Dec 09
This doesn't tell the whole story though - it makes a huge difference what those 42,000 flights are. At the moment they are mostly the flying clubs and small private jets and not large passenger jets on daily scheduled flights.