Report by JOHN BLACK

THE issue of the expansion of Southend Airport has been dominating the local election campaign in Southend West.

Any suggestions that it was [a] ‘dead issue’ now that the Communities Secretary, John Denham had said he wasn’t going to stand in the way of the expansion and leave it to Southend Council to make the final decision have been dashed with the Tory administration facing a barrage of criticism from opposition parties eager to make capital over the issue.

Leading this campaign has been Coun Graham Longley, leader of the Lib Dem group on Southend Council, who represents Blenheim ward, but is also standing as the party’s parliamentary candidate in neighbouring Rochford and Southend East.

He led the fight originally to get the full Southend Council to consider the planning application for the runway extension instead of leaving it to the 17 members of the development control committee.

He was defeated by the Tories on this, but has returned to the fight with a call for partial closure of the airport at night at a council scrutiny committee.

Closures

Two possibilities put forward by Coun Graham Longley were for closures between 1am to 4am or from 2am to 5am.

He was quoted as saying: “Night closure for a period of time would give the residents an assurance they would get at least a period of undisturbed sleep.”

Coun Nigel Holdcroft, leader of Southend Council, agreed that the full council should have a say on this issue.

He felt this would reassure residents who were upset that the decision to extend the runway was decided by only the 17 members of the development control committee.

It is understood, though, that the airport would not be in favour of any partial night-time closure because it would make the airport inoperable and was contrary to their business plans and arrangements with contractors.

The Tories were again pressed on this issue at the last full council meeting before the elections when it was agreed that all councillors will get the opportunity to debate placing restrictions on night flights when a new lease is negotiated.

But the debate will not take place until after the elections.

Coun David Norman, leader of the Labour group, who lives in Leigh, but represents Victoria ward said he was happy to support Coun Longley’s motion.

But Leigh Lib Dem Coun Peter Weham, told the full council@ “It seems to me this has been kicked into the long grass to get the election out of the way.”

The airport expansion has become a major issue in West Leigh and Belfairs wards, concern also beeing expressed in Blenheim.

The Independent group have circulated a leaflet from their candidate, Christine Hills in WEst Leigh ward in which they say the original motion sought to introduce a limited ban on night flying – but that the Tory leader, Coun Nigel Holdcroft, defending his seat in West Leigh, had described it as ‘disgusting’ because opponents were playing party political games.

Christine Hills said she supported the airport – “but I see no problem with having detailed discussions that may help to protect and reassure concerned local residents.”

Voted

She says in her leaflet that the Conservatives had voted unanimously in the scrutiny committee against the original opposition motion on a limited ban on night flying.

“I think this situation is unacceptable and deserves a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the Conservatives at this year’s elections,” her leaflet said.

But Coun Nigel Holdcroft, leader of the council, who is defending his seat in West Leigh, has explained that once the planning application was out of the way, the expansion of the airport’s business always had to come back to the council for the renegotiation of the lease.

“There will now be a full debate in full council in which all 51 councillors will be able to have their say on the application for the variation of the lease, which will give them the opportunity to raise the night flying issue,” he said.

“I have made id clear that the Cabinet will not be making a recommendation and will honour whatever decision the full council makes. I would also like to make it clear that councillors will not have to worry about not being eligible to speak and vote on the issue if they have already made their views known on the airport.”

Views

“Under Government legislation councillors are not allowed to speak or vote on planning issues if they have made their views known publicly beforehand.”

Coun Holdcroft said it would not have been possible to have had the debate before the election. “There just was not the time,” he said.

The airport is also turning out to be a major issue in the Belfairs ward, where Coun Mrs Fay Evans is seeking to defend her council seat for the Tories.

She has been criticised for her stance on the airport, and for claiming ‘there will be no night flights over Leigh’.

Local resident Ted Clarke told this newspaper: “This conclusion appears to have been reached after reading and weighing up all of the facts – and is entirely wrong.

“I must ask her to re-read the airport draft ‘Noise Action Plan’ and the attendant Section 106 Agreement reflecting the basis for the mitigation proposals.

“The monthly night ‘cap’ of 120 has numerous exceptions both for fixed wing and rotary aircraft and most seriously for Quota Count Exempt aircraft. Such craft can be jet powered and weighing around 11 tonnes many variants can be converted from passenger to freight pallet loads. These aircraft emit around 85 decibels on certification and will be also allowed to fly without restriction during night hours.

Runway

“The ‘runway preference routing’ is subject to wind, weather and general safety factors at any one time and the operators need only point to these qualifiers when faced with future complaints.

“The night-time hours are supposed to start at 11pm – except they don’t. Three passenger jets can land within the next 30 minutes.

“In short, these proposals do not represent any real improvements over the current position – they are just wearing a different suit of clothes.”

Coun Mrs Evans says in her election leaflet: ‘The Secretary of State’s decision not to intervene justifies Southend Conservatives’ insistence that nay expansion should be linked to tough environmental controls including very tight new noise levels, severe restrictions on night flights, on overall flight numbers and freight, and rules requiring increased flights in and out [over] Rochford rather than Southend – particularly at night.”