DAVID AMESS MP

Member of Parliament for Southend West
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SW1A 0AA

Mrs Kiti Theobald
Chairman
Stop Airport Expansion Now
PO Box 5909
Southend-on-Sea MLO
Short St
Southend-on-sea
Essex
SS1 1AA

Our ref: SW2411

Dear Kiti,

Further to our recent correspondence, I have received a response from Paul Clark MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.

Please find enclosed a copy of his reply. I will be interested to hear what you think. If you have any questions about the letter, just let me know.

With all good wishes,

Yours ever,

David Amess MP

From the Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State

David Amess MP
House of Commons
LONDON SW1A 0AA

Dear David,

Thank you for your letter of 12 October to Andrew Adonis. You raised concerns from your constituent about the possible expansion of Southend Airport. I am replying as I have Ministerial responsibility for this issue.

Primary responsibility for planning policy and development control on the airport site lies with Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Rochford Council. They are the statutory planning authorities. It is for them to decide, in the first instance, what form of development may be permitted. In making their decisions, they will have regard to statutory development plans and other material considerations. The Secretary of State only intervenes in the most exceptional cases. To do so more often would undermine the responsibility given to local planning authorities.

The Secretary of State is very selective about calling in planning applications. Generally, he only takes this step if planning issues beyond local importance are involved and if they merit a strategic overview that is difficult to achieve at a local level. Every case is considered on its own merits.

Responsibility for preparing the Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP) for Southend Airport is shared by both planning authorities. I understand that when early versions of the JAAP were published for public consultation, the planning authorities included reference to possible extension of the runway.

I am not aware that work on the JAAP has been suspended. However, as an unforseen planning application has been made to extend the runway, I think it is reasonable for the local planning authorities to develop a contingency plan for taking work forward, depending on the decision reached by the Development Control Committee. There will still be a requirement for public consultation on the JAAP, whatever form it takes, before it is submitted to the Secretary of State. Full Public Examination of the JAAP will then be carried out by a Planning Inspector.

Government Office for the East of England is monitoring the situation closely. If the Development Control Committee is minded to approve the planning application a decision to refer the application to the Secretary of State to determine whether it should be called in or not will be made at that stage.

I hope this is helpful.

PAUL CLARK