The Mayor of London has been accused of flip-flopping over plans to build a multi-million pound airport in the Thames Estuary.
Boris Johnson unveiled tentative proposals last year and ordered a steering group to carry out feasibility studies into the controversial idea.
But last week the Mayor appeared on BBC1’s Question Time panel and said: “I don’t want to build an estuary in the, er, an airport in the Thames Estuary.”
A Mayoral spokesman said Mr Johnson was “referring to the fact that there are no actual plans in place to build an airport”.
However, a coalition of opponents to the airport plan – including Medway Council, KCC and the RSPB – has called on the Tory Mayor to further clarify his position.
In an open letter to the Mayor, Medway Council Leader Rodney Chambers wrote: “Dear Boris, it would appear that a number of differing and conflicting views are coming out of your office with regards to the Thames Estuary airport.
“Last week, I went with my fellow councillors as part of a delegation from Medway Council to see deputy mayor, Kit Malthouse, to demand that your island airport plan is grounded.
“We all made our view completely clear – that we are unanimously against this pie in the sky scheme.
“Mr Malthouse told us that the steering group you have set up into the airport will continue and that he hoped that ‘from a personal point of view’ we will eventually see the benefit of placing a six runway airport on an island off the Kent and Medway coast.
“Just days later, you were on BBC’s Question Time telling the audience: “I don't want to build an estuary in the, er, an airport in the Thames Estuary.
“This lack of clarity is confusing and I strongly feel this whole matter needs to be cleared up.”
Labour’s minister for transport Sadiq Khan MP also attacked the Mayor’s handling of the proposals, saying: “Boris Johnson's comment last night is further proof that the idea of a Thames Estuary airport is in chaos.
“It cannot be justified on transport grounds and has no serious support from any quarter. It is hard to see how any further public expenditure on this idea can be defended.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor moved to explain Mr Johnson’s Question Time comments, saying: “The Mayor was referring to the fact that there are no actual plans in place to build an airport.
“However he believes the complex and critical decisions on Britain’s aviation future require mature exploration of every possible option.
“He has set up a steering group whose role is to oversee further study and research on issues in the estuary such as energy, flood management, transport, ecology and regeneration.
“Their research will be invaluable when deciding if a new airport there could meet London’s future needs.”
POSTED: 10/03/2010 09:15:00
Bookmark with:
Email to a friend: