Policy LS1 - General Policy

Airports should never have been built in densely populated areas and it is a criminal betrayal of future generations to propose doing so now in respect of Southend Airport - despite all promises it will be noisy, polluting and a damage to the people living under or near the flight path and contribute to the warming of the global enviroment. I am TOTALLY OPPOSED TO EVERY ASPECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT. g.l.s. askham 144 elmsleigh drive leigh onsea ss9 3dp March 30 2009

I attend a review of the future of Southend Airport with the MD of Stobart Aviation and there are a number of factual inaccuracies in the feedback on this page. Stobart may want to make their intentions clearer to the wider community:

1. There is no intention to grow the freight side of the airport.
2. The runway extension will allow the operation of more modern, quiter aircraft.
3. The runway extension will be into existing airport-owned land.
4. There will be rail improvements which will benefit Southend commuters.
5. Southend's economy will benfit from the increase in jobs.

This is good for Southend area.

hi
brian rudlin here,
i thought as we are getting very near to a deadline made by some official somewhere..i aught to say a few things which are bothering me..as it involves living under what was last year..quite enough in the way of air traffic from other areas passing over rayleigh...which made me realize the folly of putting increased air traffic in about 0ne and a half miles from the airport.
this traffic accoustically bounces around the valley in which i live and thus would or should i say dramatically act very significantly to the volume from the road and air traffic using and over the A127 + the present noises from aircraft at a much higher level than will the case if the plans are adopted unless a substantial amount of damping down low flying plane noise from planes taking off all the time,especially at night times.
I see no thought apparently has been given to this and subsequently am prepared to appeal to whoever will listen to me.
The last time we were concerned about the airport , the gentleman in charge assured me and quite a few of my neighbours that the air traffic increase would not mean night time flights but as you know the rest....
I am sorry to start on such a troublesome note but it appears every time the Airport rears its ugly head ,we get the same aggressive stance from all those in favour of the it,especially those with a good distance between them and the airports location.
please excuse my tone but judging by the position already taken by the councils, it to me seems you have your minds up,as what way you want it ,the only people who dont, i fear have to make far more noise to parliament and local mps and such,

Thank you for advising me and acting so fast,by acknowledging my request.

As someone who works in Southend and lives in Rochford, the economic and employment benefits of the airport development far outweigh any of the objections put forward.

Runway extension not warranted due to noise/air pollution & excessive traffic congestion & safety issues within heavily residential area. Stansted is being developed & provides all that is required, as well as London City Airprt. Southend has only one prime access route (West). The land should be developed as an industrial commercial estate with a Park&Ride facility for Southend & the Country Park Green Belt could be enlarged. No night flights (freight or passenger) should even be considered due to the detrimental effect upon the neighbourhood. The loss of the existing Green Belt (WRFC) would be a great loss.

Southend airport is in the wrong location for anything other than low growth. The roads are congested and the area is overcrowded. Expanding the airport will give rise to more noise and air pollution. A restriction on night flights should be enforced.

It is entirely inappropriate to develop Southend into an airport for 2m passengers per annum. The airport is located such that flight paths for takeoff and landing will be over heavily populated areas, causing immense distress and nuisance through noise, and with the potential for a major disaster in the event of a safety related incident on takeoff or landing

I am generally in support of proposed airport growth and the development of new industrial and business units in the vicinity of the airport to provide economic benefits and employment opportunities, subject to the following considerations:

• All proposed new roads and road improvements, including A127, Eastwoodbury Lane and Cherry Orchard Way, are in place prior to airport growth (especially runway extension) and new business parks development
• Road improvements through Hockley and Hawkwell West (currently not included in the Preferred Options paper) are in place prior to airport growth and business parks development, as a significant percentage of passengers and workers will use Hockley as a through route to the airport area. Many company and delivery vehicles will also travel through Hockley. Roads through Hockley are already congested and will be gridlocked following both airport growth and the proposed core strategy allocation of housing development in Rochford and Hawkwell
• All other infrastructure improvements, related to traffic, transportation (including public transport), and parking (staff, visitors, and incoming/ outgoing transportation) are in place prior to airport growth and business parks development. Planning restrictions to be approved and in place limiting on-site car parking to essential requirements only. All businesses, including the airport, to contribute to Travel Plans.
• A legally enforceable agreement on clearly defined and measurable noise and air pollution control measures is in place prior to any airport growth. Noise and air pollution must be controlled and monitored to achieve the agreed levels
• A legally enforceable agreement on clearly defined flight paths minimising impact on existing housing all around the airport is in place prior to airport growth. Clearly defined flight paths are not currently shown in the proposal and there is a concern for the residents of Hockley that the majority of planes flying north would veer after take off in the direction of Rochford District
• A legally enforceable agreement on clearly defined engine testing noise control measures is in place prior to airport growth. Engine testing to be restricted to clearly defined times of the day
• No passenger night flights
• A legally enforceable agreement on night flight quota for freight in terms of cargo, frequency and noise levels is in place prior to airport growth
• The type of industry is controlled so that new industry, inside the airport perimeter or on the business parks, is only given planning permission if air quality (in terms of fumes and smells) and noise measures do not exceed legislated levels
• The environmental impact related to the loss of greenbelt and open spaces is controlled and offset by provision of supplementary public open spaces in the vicinity

i am totally against any developement of southend airport. any expansion will not only devalue my property which is in close proximity to southend airport and where i have lived for over thirty years but add to air pollution and cause even more congestion to the already busy roads.any increase in night flights would be intolerable and there are many houses and schools close to the airport this is not the case at most airports.
jean barness

Our Ref.: RF/2218

London Southend Airport & Environs Joint Area Action Plan - Preferred Options

Thank you for your email of 17 February consulting The Theatres Trust on the preferred options for the London Southend Airport and Environs Joint Area Action Plan.

The Theatres Trust is The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres. The Town & Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995, Article 10, Para (v) requires the Trust to be consulted on planning applications which include 'development involving any land on which there is a theatre.' It was established by The Theatres Trust Act 1976 'to promote the better protection of theatres'. This applies to all theatre buildings, old and new, in current use, in other uses, or disused. It also includes buildings or structures that have been converted to theatre, circus buildings and performing art centres. Our main objective is to safeguard theatre use, or the potential for such use, but we also provide expert advice on design, conservation, property and planning matters to theatre operators, local authorities and official bodies.

Due to the specific nature of the Trust's remit we are concerned with the protection and promotion of theatres and having looked at the Proposals Map and the policies within the document we find this consultation is not directly relevant to the Trust's work and therefore we have no comment to make but look forward to being consulted on further LDF documents especially the Submission Core Strategy, Development Control Policies, Planning Obligations and any town centre Area Action Plans.

We have no guarentees that airlines will use southend, people look at figures and think great more jobs, but with airlines now flying less planes from Stansted and Gatwick, why would they want to use Southend. It would be more expensive to fly from here, if there was an accident on the A127 you would never make your flight. The airport is in the wrong place, southend is to built up, I would only hate to think what would happen if there was a major incident!

Re. Expansion of Southend Airport

We are writing to object to the proposed runway extension at Southend Airport.

As far as we are concerned the regeneration of Southend will lead to the degeneration of Leigh and its surrounding area. We neither need, nor want, planes flying over our homes and schools every few minutes and we fail to see why we need more cars coming into the area. We are congested enough at the moment, and, as stated at the recent S.A.N.E. meeting in Eastwood, we are already one of the most heavily populated areas in the country. An accident in this area would be catastrophic.

For those wishing to holiday abroad, we are already well serviced in this area by Stansted (already being expanded!!), Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow Airports.

Southend is never going to become a resort for people's 2 weeks holiday like Spanish resorts. It is a small seaside town with an historic old fishing village in Leigh visited by people all the year round. Wouldn't it be better to invest in improving these aspects of our town.

We would be grateful if you could register our objection against this proposal, and look forward to hearing of its demise. I would be grateful if you would acknowledge receipt of this letter.

I fully object to the JAAP and the airport extension. It is ill thought out and provides no real detail on the essential elements such as noise regulation, access, environmental issues and jobs. Why, for instance, do we need a longer runway for the modern planes with shorter take off and landing requirements. How can the residents understand these baseline noise limits?

I fully object to this plan.

The inconvenience, stress through loss of sleep, devalued properties and increased congestion far outweigh any benefits. Even the stated benefits are not substantiated. Despite the councils own comment that the majority of residents are opposed to Scenario 3 (this plan), they still want to push ahead with it. How can we put our trust in these people.

I strongly object to the expansion of Southend Airport and extension of the existing runway on the grounds of noise, air pollution and increased levels of road congestion in the area. This proposal is poorly thought out and will have negative impacts on the local area.

I fully support the expansion plans, this will bring both employment to local people and boost the local economy. This will support not only the 2012 Olympics but more importantly the sustained economic growth of the local area way beyond the olympics. The information relating to both noise and emmisions support the airport's case for growth. Those in opposition have not presented any concrete evidence to support their case, but have instead relied on scare mongering and inaccurate statements in order to gain support for their cause.

Ifully support the proposed farsighted exciting and dynamic airport development at Southend. In this time of economic instability any proposed investment must be grasped. The local economy would receive a massive boost new employment would be created and the regeneration of Southend would progress. If this oppertunity is missed it will be a financial disaster for the local economy and would be regretted for many years to come.

i 100% agree to the expansion to this fantastic airport
the air traffic controllers are the best ever

I object to the airport expansion for the following reasons;
1. The location of the airport and is too close to homes and schools
2. The roads serving the towns of Southend and Rochford are frequently on the point of gridlock. The increased traffic flow and congestion which will inevitably follow from the anticipated increased passenger usage will cause traffic chaos!
3. The number of flights required to support the expansion will inflict noise, pollution, loss of amenity and loss of peaceful homelife upon thousands of local residents

The councils have a duty to think again, accept the expressed concerns of their constituents and reject the proposals to extend the runway and expand the airport

I am completely against this expansion, the airport is in a very built up area, you cannot make a safety zone around it, imagine if a plane crashed remember the poor boy who crashed his plane into eastwood park a couple of years ago, imagine what damage a larger plane could do. The road structures are at breaking point, this will not bring any business to the town centre, which is badly needed, it will just bring misery from being stuck in even more traffic, with more noise, more fumes and more nighttime flights.

The Expansion of Southend needs to go ahead because more jobs are needed in the country and the local economy needs to be improved. So overall the regeneration of Southend would be good for the area.

Over the last 40 odd years Rochford has died - it needs the regeneration of this airport for future employment on the airport and the new industry planned for development area.

I was born and bred in Rochford as was my father and his before him. I love the countryside of this area and there is still enough for everybody to enjoy. I fly on holiday a lot. I know modern aircraft are not like the ones of yesteryear - they are so quiet and gracefull.

Why was the Airport finally purchased by a Road Transport Company for a fraction of the original asking price, when despite reported interest by other Airport Operators and Airlines no offers appear to have been made?
If Stanstead is gearing up for a further 10 million passengers, where will the Southend Airport passenger demand come from when at present there are few destinations available to be obtained, and a scramble by existing operators to obtain them?
Why, in the past have Laker Airways, Air UK and Other operators withdrawn from Southend due to lack of demand?
Keep it as it is?

In 2008, the number of passenger movements at Southend Airport was 44000 (CAA figures). The proposals for a capacity of 2m represent a very significant increase in the number of flights. We consider that the proposals will have a significant, detrimental effect on the quality of the environment and on those living below the flight path and in the airport vicinity. The JAAP provides no analysis on the number of flights or their patterns, which appears to be fundamental omission.

Our house is right on flight path planes fly very low over our property now. With the extension to runway it will mean some planes may not get enough lift (wheel marks on roof comes to mind). The windows already shudder and many conversations are halted whilst a plane goes overhead. What guarantee do we have that the vibrations we already experience will not affect the roofs and structures in this area over time.

I would like to Support the development of Southend Airport. The benefits to employment and tourism to the area would be great especially if it were to be linked to Carlisle Airport.

Thanks for your time

The development will create local jobs whih will benefit the local economy and assist in the regeneration of Southend.

I am fully supportive of the development of the airport which will help further economic benefit to the area providing employment and prosperity to local businesses.

I am fully supportive of all the aiport development bringing money and jobs to the area!

I am strongly against the expansion of the airport like so many other residents, so please,please listen to us, this is a far too populated area and so many lives will be ruined by pollution,noise, and as we have already sadly lost one life when a light aircraft crashed in Eastwood park imagine the devastation and loss of lives there could be if it happened with a large passenger or freight plane, please think of all the local residents who will suffer in so many ways and not about the big wigs who won't have to live here.