London Mayor Boris Johnson has come under fire for claiming he is too busy to speak to a Kent MP about his offshore airport proposals.
Mr Johnson suggested back in September that such an airport could be built in the Thames Estuary off the Isle of Sheppey, but his comments were treated with contempt by fellow politicians, residents and environmentalists alike.
Labour’s Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Derek Wyatt wrote to the mayor asking for a meeting to discuss the matter, but was far from satisfied with the response he received.
The letter sent back by Mr Johnson read: “Much as I appreciate your invitation, I am, alas, snowed under and mustn’t take on anything else at the moment. Please accept my apologies.”
Mr Wyatt described the response as “extraordinarily rude” and has written back to the mayor asking him to reconsider.
He said: “It looks as though he dictated it to somebody quickly while sitting in the back of a taxi and I’m appalled by it.
“We used to have offices four doors away from each other and we were always very friendly to one another. We weren’t what you might call drinking partners, but I would always stop for a chat with him and that’s what makes his response all the more annoying.
“He’s one of the most important politicians in the country, so to treat MPs like this is just totally unacceptable.”
Mr Johnson suggested an airport built on artificial land off Sheppey could be the answer to overcrowding at Heathrow.
Kent County Council leader and fellow Tory Cllr Paul Carter criticised the proposals at the time and said the mayor needed to learn more about the county before making such comments.
The RSPB was also angered by the suggestion, with its South East director Chris Corrigan saying such an airport would be the “biggest piece of environmental vandalism” ever perpetrated in the UK.
Mr Wyatt said he did not think the plans would ever see the light of day.
He added: “To build an airport you need an operator, but BAA doesn’t want to do it. Secondly, you need a major airline to fly from there and none of them want to do it either.
“The roads around Sheppey are already pretty busy and added with the airport traffic we’re talking about 250,000 vehicles every day. With no new rail or road infrastructure, how is that going to work?”
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said he was unwilling to speak with anybody about the airport proposals until a feasibility study had “ruled the option out once and for all”.
He added: “He is not holding meetings with anyone until then, as the study will promote dialogue. He doesn’t intend to be rude.”
POSTED: 01/11/2008 06:00:00
Bookmark with:
Email to a friend: