Campaigners against the building of a new international airport at Cliffe in Kent have suffered a setback after a leading town and country planner backed the scheme.
Sir Peter Hall, former adviser to Michael Heseltine when he was Environment Secretary, has long backed the idea of a Thames Estuary airport and was an advocate of the scheme to build one at Maplin sands, abandoned by the Labour govern-ment in the 1970s.
In his first speech today as president of the Town and Country Planning Association, Sir Peter again urged an airport in the estuary and the eventual closing of Heathrow.
Some environmental concerns could be met if part of the airport was offshore.
However, if part was offshore but in the same proposed position, it would be much closer to the Essex coast and especially Canvey, he said.
Published Wednesday October 23, 2002
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