The Threat
Southend Airport’s owners are seeking to extend the runway to allow bigger planes to use the airport. Their intention is to increase the number of passengers using Southend Airport from around 30,000 to 2 million a year – an increase of over 6000%.
The Joint Area Action Plan
Rochford District Council and Southend Borough Council are working on a “Joint Area Action Plan” (JAAP) for London Southend Airport and its environs. This plan contains three basic scenarios for the future of the airport:
- Low Growth (do minimum)
- Medium Growth
- High Growth
In June, the Issues and Options Report was published, detailing the scenarios and there was a six week public consultation on this document, ending on 8th August. The consultation document and responses can be read online at http://rochford.jdi-consult.net/jaap/readdoc.php?docid=162.
The next stage of the process will be a consultation on the selected scenario, starting in November. We fully expect this to be the High Growth option.
