Final plea over Lydd airport expansion plan

Protect Kent said expansion will damage Romney Marsh

An environmental charity has made a final appeal to prevent the expansion of a Kent airport.

Protect Kent has urged Shepway District Council to vote against the plans for Lydd airport when they attend a planning hearing on 3 March.

Campaigners fear extending the runway and building a new terminal will damage residents' quality of life and have a detrimental impact on the environment

Airport management say it will boost tourism in Kent and create jobs.

'Unacceptable impact'

A planning hearing to decide the future of the airport is due to take place next month after being postponed four times.

Dr Hilary Newport is director of Protect Kent, which is a branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

She said: "We have long argued that an expanded airport at Lydd would have an unacceptable impact on the tranquility of Romney Marsh that currently attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year."

The managing director of Lydd Airport, Jonathan Gordon, said he wanted to deliver a "regional airport that Kent can be proud of".