London Southend Airport & Environs Joint Area Action Plan Issues & Options Paper

Boundary of the JAAP is adequate to reflect the impact of the airport on the local environment and the future use of land as set for the various growth scenarios. The areas of land identified for future growth of the airport operations and the expansion of the employment areas in the three growth scenarios 2a, 2b and 3 should be sufficient to meet the potential growth associated with each option. In order to realise the full potential of the airport and to meet future economic growth for the South Essex sub-region, scenario 3 "High Growth" will require the area of land shown for this scenario.

Scenario 3 "High Growth" would have the potential to deliver the predicated growth for the airport expansion and bring significant economic benefits to Southend and the South Essex sub-region. In order to realise the potential for increasing commercial traffic at London Southend Airport and in attracting airline operators to run scheduled passenger services to various destination, within the UK and within Europe, an extended runway is essential.
The expansion of the employment areas around the airport will help to foster the growth of the aviation related cluster of businesses and also help to support and develop the current role of the airport for maintenance, repair and overhaul.
This scenario has a balanced approach to growth, ensuring that the area makes the best use of the opportunities presented to it over the plan period. This approach has a strong employment focus in the JAAP. Other employment areas within the two authority areas may be prejudiced with the concentrated investment in the JAAP, however there is a need to provide quality environment for business investment that will support the cluster of specialist aviation employment..
There is no doubt that there will be an environmental impact associated with this scenario will have considerable impact in terms of future development associated with the expansion and the resultant activity in the area. However, such of the impact could be overcome through mitigation measures and through appropriate worded conditions to the planning permission. Impacts from traffic will be the largest of all scenarios and aircraft movements also maximised. These would need to be mitigated and controlled to ensure development is sustainable. However, the potential for mitigation and improvement to environmental assets are enhanced by the interest in the area from private and public sectors. In changing the character of the area funding will be attracted to promote transport and environmental projects aimed at improving the JAAP area.
The Scenarios 1 and 2a are unlike to contribute to the enhancement of the local environment or the improvement of the local transport and accessibility due to piecemeal nature of the growth. These Scenarios are unlikely attract other external funding or private investment that will make a visible impact in the area.

To ensure that the transport issues related to the growth is properly assessed and the existing highway congestion is not exacerbated, the JAAP will need to set out the transport impact of this high growth scenario. This Scenario will need to mitigate against the possible increase in the traffic movement arising from the high growth option

The High Growth Option set out in Scenario 3 has the opportunity to expand the airport operations and accommodate future economic growth, through the expansion of the industrial/business cluster around the airport. The high growth scenario is based on the expansion of the airport for commercial flight that requires the extension of the runway. Scenario 2b "Medium Growth - Aviation Cluster" also has the opportunity to grow the airport operation through expansion of commercial flights and growth the aviation cluster around the airport, through a more incremental approach. There may be an opportunity to create a hybrid option that is mix of these growth scenarios design to deliver an accelerated growth over a medium term that gives confidence to potential airline operators to consider London Southend Airport as viable destination that has the benefit of improved access to the City.