Last night Shepway District Council voted to approve the planning application for the limited expansion of Lydd Airport. I was at the Civic Centre in Folkestone to watch the presentations to the Council, and these represented all strands of local opinion.
Shepway has now sent a clear message that it is serious about attracting investment into the area to regenerate the economy and create new jobs. This investment is badly needed in Lydd and Romney Marsh, and has been a major concern for residents, particularly now that the future of nuclear power at Dungeness is uncertain. The recession has made life harder for many people, and we cannot afford to throw away the chance of new jobs from the development of businesses that already exist – there has of course been an active airport at Lydd since the 1950s. This for me has always been an important consideration in supporting both the development of Lydd airport and building a new power station at Dungeness.
The approval of the planning application also gives more control over the airport. Currently, for example, it is free to operate through the night, but this will end under the new plans. I was also interested to hear that the Health and Safety Executive has stated that an expanded Lydd Airport would not be a risk to Dungeness power station, and that the methods proposed to keep birds away from the airfield are currently in use at Lydd, and have not deterred birds from visiting the nature reserves around Dungeness.
The issue about the future of Lydd Airport has been under consideration for a number of years now, and has divided opinion. I have always been ready in principle to support the development of Lydd airport, as long as questions regarding environmental safety and noise could be answered. I believe that these issues were answered in the presentations to the council and that the members made the right decision in voting in favour of the development.
It is of course important that we preserve the unique landscape of Romney Marsh and Dungeness for future generations, but this does not mean that no development is possible at all, particularly when it only directly affects a very small percentage of the land included in the whole of the protects sites. It is possible in this case for us both to protect the environment and support the local economy.