A new airport has been proposed for the Thames Estuary in Kent at Cliffe near Rochester. It is part of a massive expansion programme for Britain's airports announced by the Government, including an extra runway considered for Heathrow, and three extra runways at Stansted.

 

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Did someone say Manston?....well there's a place just gagging to have the airport there.....it already has a huge runway and is well sited, so why why why, do we have to use a marsh in Cliffe, that even if we ignore its position in the corner of an area already a nightmare to get in and out of by road is presently an excellent wildlife sanctuary? So... masses of concrete on a marsh...good choice guys... to put pilings down in an area like this will take an incredible amount of blue clay (used to stop the bore holes for the pilings collapsing before they can be concreted) we just happen to be in an area where there are fairly substantial amounts of the blue stuff!....remember Tiptree? they wanted to put a rubbish tip there....I believe that a lot of the blue clay would have come out of the hole they were going to make there....but I may be wrong. However, the only reason to put an airport in such a strange and unwelcome position must be because some folks stand to make lots of moneys on the deal. The guys pushing for this think they already have it in the bag...its just details...you and I and the folks who live in Cliffe and the surrounding areas are just DETAILS ...to be smoothed over,whitewashed etc etc. Who cares if the folks there don't want another airport so close, its their plan and they don't want to change it f! or! a few little DETAILS.

Carl, Upchurch, Sittingbourne

No big florid comments, its just wrong. A poorly thought out scheme with a massive 'hidden cost' of loss of wildlife habitat, loss of countryside to residential development, and very little public support. Existing airports should be expanded, with increased infrastructure to support them. This would be environmentally friendlier, would spread the impact and above all be cheaper.

Lorrie Farrall, Margate

NO and I mean NO to the airport at CLIFFE! I know the area extremely well as I was brought up there and my mother still lives in Hoo. I spent much of my childhood and adolescence walking around Cliffe, Cooling, High Halstow etc. There are many reasons why this airport should never be built apart from the natural beauty of the area and the wildlife. Has any one considered the danger of this project - much of the shoreline and beyond for the first two miles of the sea and there are shifting sand and shifting mud as the whole lot moves with the tide. The whole area is unstable and liable to flooding as we could be looking at a man-made ecological disaster of mega proportions. Cancel this project! Nobody can prove that the projections of a huge increase in air travel by 2030 are justified - it is probably more likely that there will be major conflict in the Middle East, a reduction in available petrol resources and a reduction in air travel if not war.

Z.J. Harpum , Brussels, Belguim

In a Special Report launched this week, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution expresses deep concern about the global impacts of the rapid growth in air travel. Air transport operates globally and its impacts on the atmosphere, particularly those that could result in climate change, could have worldwide consequences. The Chairman, Sir Tom Blundell said: >> continues

Perry Haines, NO AIRPORT AT CLIFFE RSPB campaign co-ordinator

Are the proposals to build an offshore airport North-East of the Isle of Sheppey viable? (see teaco.co.uk website). The Thames Estuary Airport Company is being very discreet in its efforts to offer an alternative and more palatable option to the Cliffe Airport. The present plans for Cliffe are just a political smokescreen to hide the Government's true intentions. I feel that after a sufficient furore has been generated by both the inhabitants of North Kent, concerned environmental conservationists and possibly by the European Parliament, the Government will magnanimously back down much to our relief and that of the major airlines who would much prefer an extra runway at one of London's existing airport (especially Heathrow). This will then come to fruition as the least bitter pill for the inhabitant of the South-East of England to swallow.

Michael Abbott, Rochester

I say no to the Cliffe airport, as I live on the Isle of Sheppey, the planes will fly over us every 5 minutes, so, no I don't want the aggravation

Amy Horner, Sheerness

No Cliffe airport! This could really spoil people of around the London areas way of life. Also it could spoil our amount of beautiful wildlife in our countrysides and the noise would be absolutely awful!

Laura, Gravesend

There seems to be a misunderstanding that you can in some way 'place' the supply of air-travel where it is likely to be of some secondary benefit to you in terms of creating jobs. There are those who seem to believe that the government can, in some way, dictate that airlines will operate from Manston, in order to create employment in Thanet. The government can't do this. They can work to make capacity available at those sites where the airlines believe they can profitably operate, and they can take steps to manage demand (though they haven't done this yet). The SERAS report tells us that Manston has limited potential, and that airlines may opt to pay higher fees to use the main London airports rather than using Manston. This would appear to be true since, three years after it went private, and despite constant talk of talks, no passenger carriers have yet agreed to use Manston. Those who express a wish to see Manston expanded may want to consider how realistic they are! being.

Pete, Ramsgate

I find this whole airport thing is so funny as it reminds me of the big Sydney airport debate which went on for over ten years. It was over having a second airport up and running for the Olympics it never happened and they never really needed it anyway see there was a perfectly good airport at Canberra which could have had a high speed railink which never happened and there was another airport at Newcastle, NSW, only a little over an hour by road and somehow they only now are discovering it exists. Why build a massive airport at Cliffe which will cost billions when you can even get a decent train service to London I mean to take up to two hours to go 70 miles is a joke and the cost even funnier. Just down the road is a great little airport called Manston or some think it sounds more impressive aka 'Kent International Airport'. Why doesn't a no frills airline come there after all they say they want to help the public so why not put words into actions if they ran 24 flights a day with one carrier that would be one flight every half hour and 24 flights less at Gatwick or Heathrow. See the point is why have two or three massive airports when you have say six little ones. For example, I took some family to Heathrow from Canterbury last week we left at 0620 and got there at 0945 .....so wake up all .... bigger is not always better...and get in touch in ten years we will all still be talking about it...it is England afterall....

James Neal, Canterbury

The 'experts' claim that three or four new runways are needed in the South East. This is based on the discredited 'predict and provide' theory which seems to find favour with DfT. A second runway at both Gatwick and Stansted would be logical on operational flexibility grounds and the rail infrastructure is already in place for these locations. I feel some extra capacity should be provided at regional airports, including Manston, which would be good for the economy of East Kent. Demand should then be managed by encouraging rail as an alternative for internal and short haul European journeys. Upgrading rail infrastructure would be a lot cheaper than building a new airport anywhere, let alone at such an environmentally important site as Cliffe.

Stuart, Broadstairs

The concept of an airport at Cliffe is so flawed that it is surprising that it has ever been considered as a serious contender. Its in the wrong place, it would be an environmental catastrophe,there is unlikely to be any private money forthcoming to fund it, commercially it is a poor prospect, operationally it is potentially very dangerous, the infrastructure is non existent and to destroy 1,100 homes when the government's housing targets cannot be met now would be grossly irresponsible. It must be made clear that Kent is not going to be the dumping ground for every major project going. This is an issue which affects the whole of the County but sadly we have a government that is stupid enough and arrogant enough to want to try and pursue the development. We must fight this proposal by whatever means until Mr Blair & Co understand that No Airport at Cliffe means just that.

Colin Milligan, Seal Chart

If the government is to carpet Kent in concrete, flood Thanet, shoot and poison the birds in the Thames estuary to prevent bird strike, build new roads, tunnels, railways, 500,000 new houses and provide support and services for all the people to live in them including the infrastructure to service all of the building work we will all need to fly away more regularly and possibly never return.

John, Rochester

An airport at Cliffe! Is this government serious? I think that it is a method of distraction so that they can divide the anti-airport lobby between the areas of projected development. Cliffe has got to be the most unsuitable site available due to the wildlife sanctuary status and the historical connections with Dickins and if the government were to go ahead and try to develop an airport, I can imagine that the Newbury bypass protest would be as nothing compared to the reaction of activists over this proposed development. The new age protesters would have to join the queue behind me and many other citizens who are outraged at the prospect. I live near the flightpaths of both Heathrow and Stanstead and I would rather these get busier than see another area blighted with a totally new airport built and I think that is what the government is hoping for.

Mark Whalebone, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

If we do not get off of our backsides and show 'the powers that be' that we will not tollerate anymore destruction of our environment, and country, then we deserve what we will get.............' hell!

Kathleen Shannon, Cranbrook

In reply to Steven Morgan and his assumption that those that know nothing about the aviation industry are against Cliffe. BAA are against the idea of an airport at Cliffe, and surely they are in a good position to comment.

Sam, Essex

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