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

I am writing to express London First's support for the development of London Southend airport. London First is a business membership organisation working to improve and promote Lodnon with the objective of ensuring that London maintains and enhances its position as a leading world city. We do this by mobilising the experience, expertise and enthusiasm of senior business leaders to develop practical solutions to the challenges facing the capital.

London First delivers its activities with the support of around 300 of the capital's major businesses in key sectors such as finance, professional services, property, ICT, creative industries, hospitality and retail. Membership also includes all of London's higher education institutions as well as further education colleges and NHS hospital trusts. Our memebers represent over a quarter of London's GDP.

We support the work that London Southend has done in publishing and consulting the local community on its master plan, despite not being required to by the Department for Transport.

London's international links are among its greatest assets. High quality air travel is fundamental to maintaining these and key to London's success as a world city. Long term capacity increases at all London's airports will be needed to meet the forecast doubling of UK passengers by 2030.

We believe the growth of London Southend Airport is strategically aligned to the Future of Air Transport White Paper (2003), and should be considered as playing an essential role in meeting forecast demand and driving the regeneration and growth of Southend, not least in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics.

In the face of twenty years of continuous growth in passenger demand at London's airports, planning at national level has failed to overcome capacity constraints. Local and regional authorities have a role to play in mitigating that failure, by recognising that smaller airports in and around London can support the region's economic development, and help maintain London's status as a world financial centre.

Of the scenarios described in the Issues and Options Report, we belive Scenario 3 offers the best option to deliver a regional airport able to attract both carriers and employers. We note the risks attached to delivering two million passengers by 2020 without a runway extension, and on the basis that environmental constraints can be met, wholeheartedly support Scenario 3 to be taken forward as part of the preferred strategy for consultation in November 2008.