29 AUGUST 2016

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Article from BTNews 29 AUGUST 2016

Plymouth in airport campaign

The government is being urged by both Labour and Conservative politicians in Plymouth to publish its long-awaited report into the future of the local airport.

The Plymouth Herald reported that the move follows an announcement by former chancellor George Osborne in last year’s Budget of a feasibility study into whether the mothballed site could reopen.

The Herald said the report is yet to appear, and now politicians are saying it must be published "without further delay". 

In a letter to transport secretary Chris Grayling, Conservative MP Johnny Mercer said: “The people of Plymouth have been waiting for some time for the publication of the study....

“Is it possible to ensure the quick publication of this report so that the people of Plymouth can take the result of the study, whatever it may say, and go about making it work for the best interests of the city?”

The city council’s Labour leader, Tudor Evans, told the Herald that Labour's manifesto from the May election committed the party to campaigning to re-open the airport. 

He suspected the Department for Transport had not published its report because it recommended keeping the airport closed.

The Department for Transport told the paper the report will be published “in due course”.

www.plymouth.gov.uk

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum


Malcolm Ginsberg, London

Sad to say even with its fine runway Manston will never work as it is in the wrong position. There have been many attempts at services and all have failed. Both Southend and Ostend are small airports with restricted catchment areas


Richard Wiggins , Sussex UK

The government should also look to reopening Manston (MSE) rebranding as London Manston Airport to compete with London Southend in the Sourh East basin of Britain as there lays one of the biggest ready-built runways in UK and shortest channel hop to Europe which links up with Ostend in 30 minutes and will bolster air travel as against Eurotunnel/Eurostar/Ferry ports that have all become saturated and higher level security since the migration crisis began its latest tourism awareness drop due risk of attack / confrontation by road travelling across the channel. . Gatwick and/or Heathrow extra runways will be at least 20 years on the planning and building , long after the current elected government have been in office and long after Brexit has kicked in !!! My advice is link Manston to Ostend (both have runway length and airfield capacity to offer right now)


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