Put a Lid on Lydd

Published: 25-02-2010

BRING THE LYDD AIRPORT SAGA TO AN END ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Gemma Watts, Publicity Officer, Protect Kent 

25 February 2010

Protect Kent welcomes the recommendations of the Shepway District’s Planning Officer that the proposed expansion of Lydd Airport should be rejected.

Dr Hilary Newport, Director of Protect Kent said:

“We have long argued that an expanded airport at Lydd would have an unacceptable impact on the tranquillity of Romney Marsh that currently attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The expansion would blight the quality of life for residents across much of the marsh and beyond. We also agree that there would be unacceptable impacts on the fragile wildlife habitats that are of international importance.”

Backers of the airport have pushed the economic benefits, but evidence from other regional airports around the UK* indicate that they often lead to a net loss of jobs and over time require increasingly levels of financial support from the public purse, such as KCC’s failed attempts to bolster Kent International Airport at Manston.

Protect Kent and its partners and supporters, urges councillors to vote ‘no’ for the airport proposals and bring this long running saga to an end.

If the decision is made not to expand Lydd Airport, we urge the backers of the scheme not to appeal because it would only serve to waste further taxpayers money.

* “Airport jobs: false hopes, cruel hoax” Brendon Sewill, Aviation Environment Federation, March 2009 (http://www.aef.org.uk/?p=317).

-ENDS-

Associated Districts

• Shepway

Associated Campaigns

• Aviation

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