- No Estuary Airport
The Medway Labour proposal calling for a Medway-wide referendum on the Tory plans for an airport on the Thames Estuary were rejected by the Medway Conservatives.
We believe that the proposals for an Estuary Airport will be part of the government aviation review and that any such proposal would impact thousands of residents and permanently alter Medway.
It is time residents are allowed to have a voice.
To realise any airport proposal would require the relocation of thousands of people and the destruction of historic villages. The roadworks and infrastructure impacts would have significant ecological and community impacts on the area and threaten an existing RSPB site.
Local referendums have been managed successfully across the UK including in areas seeking an elected Mayor, changes to local authorities, regional assemblies, the AV vote and on local proposals to take infrastructure into public hands (e.g. Dover Docks).
Despite the referendum being rejected by the Conservatives the Labour Group voted to support the Council opposition to the proposals; we hope a cross-party group can step up to the challenge which we all believe genuinely threatens our towns.
Commenting Vince Maple, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group said,
“We are disappointed to see the Tories reject the referendum proposal. We believe it would have given weight to the anti-airport case, invigorated the campaign across Medway and made politicians in Westminster sit up and listen.”
“We believe in democracy and we think its time that the public in Medway had a chance to have a say on an issue which could change and devastate the future fabric of our community.”
“The Civil Aviation Authority has only this week stated that the South East needs further capacity if we are to maintain a competitive advantage. We are concerned that the government will propose an Estuary solution in the forthcoming paper on aviation”
“Medway Labour will continue to work on any campaign to oppose the airport and we welcome the establishment of the cross-party group; but nationally the Tories have refused to sign-up to a cross-party aviation review. Justine Greening MP needs to accept the offer from Maria Eagle MP for a cross-party approach to aviation”
