Lydd Airport Public Enquiry Decision Delight

8.40.08am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th Jun 2010

On Thursday 24th June, the Government Office of the South East "called in" the planning decision to expand the runway at Lydd Airport, also known as London Ashford Airport, stating that there will now be a public enquiry.

Shepway Liberal Democrat leader, Lynne Beaumont, who has campaigned against this expansion for 5 years, said:

"I am delighted with this decision: it is right and proper that there should be a public enquiry. The whole situation will now be scrutinised and a decision made based on the facts of the case, and not on political will.

"On the 3rd March, many local Conservatives voted through this planning application against the officers recommendations. Shepway District Council had employed experts to give councillors advice which was ignored, and almost £90,000 was wasted.

"Now, the cost to Shepway council tax payers will grow. This will cost tens of thousands of pounds of council tax payers money, and the bottom line is that this is all to prop up a failing business, operating at less than 1% of its capacity and losing money, year in, year out. Maybe council tax payers of Shepway would like to write to the Conservative councillors who voted this through, and ask them not to spend any more of their hard earned money on a project that is failing, and will continue to fail."

The decision notice to call in the planning applications can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/lyddairportpublicenquiry