I am deeply concerned by the news that Southend Airport intends to extend the runway to allow larger planes to use the airport.

Of the options offered in the London Southend Airport and Environs Joint Area Action Plan, I prefer Scenario 1 the "Low Growth (do minimum)" option.

In addition to the comments on the attached letter, I wish to make the additional comments for inclusion as part of the consultation process:

Communication

I am appalled at the poor communication of a project with such far reaching consequences. I only heard of these plans via the letter which was posted through my door on Monday 4th August (which is signed and at the front of this note), explaining that any comments had to be in by Friday 8th August.

My parents, who have lived in Manners Way near Warners Bridge, for over 50 years and will obviously be very affected by the plans, have had no information whatsoever sent to them.

Road Congestion

There is already far too much traffic for the size of road from Rochford to Warners Bridge and at several times during the day a journey which should take five minutes often takes up to 20 minutes.

Earlier in the year a planning application to site a recycling unit at Warners Bridge was rejected due to the lack of road infrastructure, therefore it would suggest that any application to increase traffic in this area woudl also be rejected.

Air Pollution

We already suffer from air pollution due to the airport and we often have to close our windows due to the smell of aviation fuel, this could make living in the area unbearable, particularly if it is hot and humid in the summer, due to the increased aircraft.

Noise Pollution

We moved to Rochford 11 years ago, as at that time it was a fairly quiet village. I have MS and need peace and quiet to rest. Unfortunately, the place has grown considerably and it is no longer the peaceful place it was, however, any plans other than the "Low Growth" option will make it extremely noisy in terms of aircraft and traffic and unfortunately, a less desirable place to live and therefore we may not find it easy to sell our house if we wished to move to somewhere quieter.

I am appalled at the lack of consideration given to current residents in the area and feel that the focus is on government targets and making money which will not find its way back to residents.