Section 3.1 repeats the assertion that the extended runway will allow for the use of modern, quieter medium-sized aeroplanes, whereas in fact the most fuel efficient airliners require a longer and wider runway than that which now exists at LSA.



Expanded operations at the airport have now been in place for just over one year and it is now clear that the overwhelming majority of passengers are UK citizens who are travelling abroad. Precise information is not yet available on the number of foreign tourists attracted to LSA, but we will work to secure this information before the examination.



However, to provide an interim guide, if approximately 800,000 UK passengers have flown abroad, that is equivalent to a trade loss of £316 million which equates to 12,640 jobs lost from the Essex and London economy. (Based upon UK average of £395 spent abroad per passenger.)



(SAEN notes on SEEFoE response: Please note that on 22/3/2013, after SEEfoE made its submission, new data was published by the airport. This showed that a total of 721,661 passengers flew from the airport in the year leading up to February 2012.)



The JAAP is grossly misleading in failing to make any reference to the huge scale of loss of revenue to this area.



Another area that has been overlooked is the massive loss of wealth to the area caused by devaluation of property under and near the flight path.



Again, information is not yet finalised but reports from surveyors specialising in compensation suggest that some homes will have been devalued by up to 15%, many hundreds, possibly thousands by between 5 and 10%. If it is indeed true that 4500 homes have lost what is claimed, then the local economy may have been deprived of over £50m.



The claim that 6200 additional jobs will be created at the industrial estates needs to be challenged. Firstly, this assumes that all spaces created within the business parks will be used. Given the current economic climate and the amount of vacant office space around Southend, this appears to be unlikely. Also, as previously mentioned, the local authorities' intention is to fill at least some of the space with businesses relocated from other sites in the area (Eldon Way to be demolished). Therefore, these would not be *additional* jobs.



Section 3.3 on "Balancing development with environmental enhancement" - it must be noted that local residents have reported adverse health impacts as a result of increased operations. For example, children in the St Laurence Park play area have suffered asthma attacks when an A319 turned on the hammerhead, directing jet exhaust into the park.



It must be noted that unlike its competitors, LSA has no pipeline to supply its fuel, which is brought to the site by road tanker. This suggests that increased storage capacity is needed for jet fuel which poses a further threat to the local area.



Pollution such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds), carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide, synthetic lubricating oil vapour, unburned hydrocarbons and soot are all produced by aircraft engines. There are no catalytic converters on aircraft engines! Also, the smoke produced by aircraft tyres on touchdown contain particles of rubber containing toxic heavy metals. With housing closer to the airport than at any other UK airport, this cavalier disregard for the health of residents demonstrates how irresponsible the local authorities have been.



At section 3.4, the JAAP clearly advocates an increase in capacity on the highway network in order to facilitate additional traffic to the airport. This is in contravention of Government policy on climate change by increasing pollution from cars. It is also self-contradictory as point vi. advocates greater use of sustainable transport in order to reduce car traffic.



It is now becoming abundantly clear that far from encouraging greater rail travel as LSA at one time claimed, it is actually going into competition with the rail network by providing flights to destinations such as Newquay and Edinburgh.

We object to any proposal to build on agricultural land, which is needed to protect the country's food security.