I’m often asked if the current proposals to build an airport in the middle of the Thames estuary with roads and barriers linking both the Kent and Essex’s coasts is ‘serious’? The sub-text for the question is usually ‘should the RSPB be putting resources into developing a position on what looks like a project unlikely to happen’.
It feels serious – and it would be wise to assume that those promoting the project are serious about it. The time an idea like this really starts to call on our resources is when the plans develop beyond their current ideas stage.
We’d rather they didn’t go any further because the scale and impact of the airport plus its associated infrastructure would profoundly damage the Thames estuary (let alone it’s contribution to climate chaos). We think it’s a seriously bad idea.
A good indicator that a project is going to ‘go large’ is the amount of support it starts to gather, so the lack of support from David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, is timely. Is this the end of the latest estuary airport proposal? Almost certainly not, though the lack of political backing is a major handicap for Mayor Johnson’s plans. Is this the last airport proposal for the Thames? History indicates that would be an unlikely hope. The future of the Thames estuary is very important to the RSPB – our commitment to this special place is considerable and that will continue and grow, seriously!