Boris Island. Not Wanted!
Local Liberal Democrats are strongly opposing London’s Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson’s proposal to build another London airport by the Thames Estuary.
Yet again London politicians are trying to dump an unwanted airport here on the North Kent coast says Cllr Maureen Ruparel – Leader of Medway Liberal Democrats. She said that ‘Medway have already said a very definite “NO” to an airport at Cliffe in 2002.
The Government rejected an estuary airport in 2005. Deputy Leader Cllr Andy Stamp said “The idea was wrong then and it is still wrong now, local people on the Hoo Peninsula and across the Medway Towns have consistently put forward convincing arguments backed by community protest against an airport here”. Cllr Stamp continued “The pollution and environmental damage caused by a major new international airport in the Thames Estuary would be catastrophic”
The Medway Liberal Democrats agree and support the report by the RSPB, it backs up the fact that the Thames Estuary is used by 300,000 migratory birds and is home to one of the biggest array of internationally protected habitats in Europe
Cllr Ruparel said “Everyone except Boris Johnson is aware of this. Our local road and rail networks are already at breaking point, so the necessary additional transport infrastructure would further add to the huge cost”
Cllr Stamp said” Boris should let the train take some of the strain. We must look at ways of improving the high speed train networks to domestic and short-haul destinations; it is already quicker to take the train from central London to Paris than to fly . That should be true for Edinburgh and Frankfurt. Rather than building very expensive airports we should invest in greener rail services.”
The Medway Group urges all Residents to visit the RSPB Website www.stopestuaryairport.co.uk and register your name on their petition .
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