Dear Editor,
Shepway District Council’s decision to support Lydd Airport’s expansion plans is another nail in the coffin of Conservative claims of environmental concern.

This decision will be harmful to birdlife, will increase aircraft noise which is known to increase blood pressure and stress in people and may well generate demands for road infrastructure increases in the area which the taxpayer will be expected to meet.

Each year, civil aviation is already getting about £9 billion in subsidies from Government, particularly towards transport infrastructure serving airports.

Each year, emissions from aviation in Europe increase by about 6% - the rate of increase of any sector. It is impossible to fight climate change by expanding airports.

It is also clear that both Lydd Airport and Manston, like other regional airports, showed losses before the recession. Why on earth would councillors in Shepway want to fly jobs out of the country by supporting tourism elsewhere in the world?

Lydd, like Manston, can and should be an all-weather leisure site, not an airport.

The rising cost of oil, and the impact of rising energy and food bills upon household spending, may well curb this planned airport expansion before real damage is done. Let us hope so.

Steve Dawe
Kent Green Party

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