Public inquiry to be held into plans to expand London Ashford Airport

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, announced on 24 June 2010 that a Public Inquiry would be held into the plans to expand London Ashford Airport (LAA) at Lydd.

Natural England requested the Public Inquiry in March, when Shepway District Council resolved to grant planning permission for the LAA.  

"We work closely with developers and planning authorities to identify places where new developments are best accommodated and are most sustainable, while minimising negative impacts on nature and the environment," said Natural England London and South East Regional Director Alan Law. 

"We support development that takes the natural environment into consideration and we do all we can to help ensure that the right sort of development is located in the right places and delivers sustainable benefits for people and the natural environment together.

"The proposed expansion at the London Ashford Airport may affect nature conservation sites of national and international importance.  We also have to consider the likely impacts on wider ecological interests and landscape in the area and the impacts on local access and recreation.

Shepway DC's resolution on 3 March to approve plans for a runway extension and a new terminal building was against the advice of its own planning officers and the conclusion set out in its own Appropriate Assessment.

The sites affected by the development are:-

Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Dungeness Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Dungeness to Pett Level Special Protection Area (SPA).

Proposed Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay Special Protection Area (pSPA)

Proposed Dungeness to Pett Level Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar site).

London Ashford Airport at Lydd (2)

Natural England objected to the planning application for the following reasons:- 

The applicant has been unable to demonstrate that the proposals will not have an adverse affect on the integrity of the protected sites;

The lack of a detailed Bird Control Plan that sets out precise measures that will be necessary  to deliver on the airport's legal bird-strike requirements, and the impacts this might have on bird populations;

Air quality issues, especially the levels of nitrogen emissions, and the impact on the Special Area of Conservation and SSSI. There is potential for a reduction in air quality, leading to shingle communities becoming eutrophic and altering the fragile nature of the ecosystem. Evidence indicates that the airport expansion will cause an increase in nitrogen deposited, adverse effects from which Natural England believes, cannot be avoided.

There are also additional adverse effects due to the direct loss of invertebrate-rich ditch systems and direct loss of geomorphological interest features of the SSSI to the airport proposals.  Other potential impacts include effects on protected species, including great crested newts which have not been sufficiently mitigated.