Nb: Lydd Airport-No expansion group ( Shepway Freinds of the Earth, Green Party and Lib Dems allied to second anti-group) will also be responding to these plans ,though through the planning process in the main. see website.
www.lyddairport-noexpansion.co.uk
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Preserving w Protecting w Defending w Romney Marsh
Lydd Airport Action Group

www.lyddairportaction.co.uk

Press Release: December 18th, 2006

LAAG Opposes Lydd Airport Planning

Application



Lydd Airport Action Group (LAAG) vigorously opposes Lydd Airport’s

planning application for a new terminal and a 444m runway

extension and believes that the Environmental Impact Assessment

(EIA) which accompanies the planning application is incomplete and

inadequate.



The airport plans to grow passenger numbers from 3000 in 2005 to

2million passengers per annum (mppa) by 2011/2014 and 6mppa by

2021.The runway extension will allow the airport to achieve this

ambition by enabling large commercial jets such as the Boeing 737

and Airbus A320 to operate from the airport. Lydd Airport is not a

suitable site for the creation of a regional airport, being surrounded

by fragile habitats protected under European and UK laws, located

less than 3 miles from the Dungeness Nuclear Complex and less than

2 and 8 miles respectively from the Lydd and Hythe Military ranges.



We think the proposal will lead to the destruction of Romney Marsh

in exchange for the creation of a small number of mainly low skilled

jobs. We believe there are serious public safety issues as large commercial

aircraft will be taking off and landing beside nuclear power stations.

The nuclear safety consultant John Large has determined that the risk

of crash damage exceeds the government’s minimum acceptable risk

threshold by a factor of 20.



Residents will be affected by noise and air pollution over a wide

area. The Instrument Landing System (ILS) flight approach path

starts over Lyminge and passes over the coastal towns at around the

following heights: Dymchurch 1600ft, St Mary’s Bay 1200ft, Littlestone

600ft and Dunes Road Greatstone 400ft. There will be no ILS for aircraft



landing from the South West due to restricted airspace over the

Lydd Military Ranges (4000ft) and the Dungeness Nuclear Power

Stations (2000ft). All commercial aircraft taking off from runway 21

(towards Lydd) would be required to make a sharp right hand turn to

avoid the Lydd Ranges and would pass over Lydd before beginning their

on-ward routings.



The preferred routes after take off from either runway 21 (towards

Lydd -westerly winds) or runway 03 (towards Greatstone - easterly

winds) will be - flights to France & Italy going directly over Camber,

Spain & Portugal over Rye, Germany, Netherlands & Scandinavia over

Hythe & Folkestone, and flights to Scotland and Ireland over Romney

Marsh towards Maidstone (Detling).



LAAG BELIEVES THE LARGE SCALE EXPANSION OF LYDD AIRPORT SHOULD BE ABANDONED.



Louise Barton  blmbarton@aol.com

Lydd Airport Action Group lyddairportaction.co.uk

The Hook, Madeira Road 01797 361 548

Littlestone, Kent, TN28 8QX



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