MP TELLS MINISTER GATWICK RUNWAY - NO WAY

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 18th Sep 2003

In a meeting with transport minister Alistair Darling yesterday Sue Doughty and other South Eastern MPs spelled out to the minister that plans for a new runway at Gatwick were not feasible.

She pointed out to the minister that the plan in itself would lead to further concreting over of the South East, and continue to generate the overheating of the economy in the area. With near full employment and a major shortage of housing the plan would only make matters worse she said.

"This proposal is not sustainable - economically or environmentally. The government must go away and think again about its whole approach to air transport. If this plan goes ahead we will see massive problems - not only accelerated concreting over of the South East but huge pollution from aircraft fuel, one of the most harmful pollutants."

She also had other concerns about air travel "Aircraft fuel, and emissions are untaxed unlike other fuels. Effectively it is being subsidised, while in my constituency we have difficulty in running a bus service on Sundays. The transport minister has got his priorities completely wrong here."