Dick Durham's blog
Web log entry dated 23 September 2008
Thames Estuary airport: latest
London's mayor Boris Johnson wants to build Heathrow-on-Sea a couple of miles off the Isle of Sheppey in Kent slap bang in the middle of the Thames Estuary. This will cause all the local channels to change and many will suffer from silting.
It will completely ruin one of the most beautiful areas of estuary and wildlife enjoyed by dog-walkers, ramblers, twitchers, and cyclists as well as sailors...the Swale and its lovely towns of Whitstable and Faversham.
Of course I can be accused of Nimbyism as this is my backyard sailing area and so I am naturally against it. But just look at all the other issues such a proposal effects. For a start the giant wind turbine area on the Kentish Flats would presumably be demolished to accommodate the new '24 hour' airport flight path. Then there is the Environment Agency's new method of dealing with rising sea levels by allowing sea walls to fall into disrepair so that areas of saltings can act as a 'sponge' for large tides. I can't see a giant landfill site (which is what the airport would be) soaking up much of the Thames' excessive high waters. Quite the opposite in fact.
Then there is the 'terror threat' which pro-Heathrow-on-Sea-ers always cite. They say planes have to fly across London to get to Heathrow. With Sheppey International they will fly in from the North Sea, they say. True, if they are coming from the east. But what about all the traffic coming from the US? Will they chicane around Land's End and fly up the Channel before hanging a left and coming over the North Sea? I don't think so.
So, Boris, I've reserved another set of concrete boots on the Columbine Spit for your brogues.
Dick Durham
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