www.hertsandessexobserver.co.uk
Observer March 13, 2008 3BID FINALLY LODGED FOR STANSTED AIRPORTPROTESTERS accused
BAA ofdeclaring war on
the local community and
global environment.
Stop Stansted Expansion
supporters held a rally at
the Three Horseshoes pub
in Molehill Green, which
would be moved under the
expansion proposals, on
Tuesday.
The group mustered about
50 troops to send airport
bosses a message that
they would not surrender.
Chairman Peter Sanders
said: 8220This application
must serve as a rallying
call, not just for local
people who seek to
safeguard this unspoilt
area ofcountryside, but
for all those who care
about our legacy to future
generations.
8220We will fight BAA8217s plans
tooth and nail in what
will be a defining test of
whether protection ofour
environment is more
highly valued by the
Government than still
more cheap flights and
doing BAA8217s bidding.8221
Uttlesford8217s MP, Sir Alan
Haselhurst, said: 8220This is
a runway too far and
there8217s no justification for
it by almost any test.8221
8220It would transform the
whole character ofthis
part ofthe world 8211 and
for the worst.8221
Fellow Tory MP Mark
Prisk, who represents
Bishop8217s Stortford,
accused the Government
and BAA ofprejudging
and prejudicing the
verdict to increase use of
the existing runway 8211
which has not yet been
revealed 8211 by pressing
ahead with the planning
application and road and
rail proposals for an even
bigger project.
Uttlesford District Council
leader Jim Ketteridge
joined the SSE rally at the
Three Horseshoes and
said: 8220We remain
unanimous in our
opposition and only
recently reaffirmed that
by all councillors re-
signing a pledge to oppose
a second runway.8221
His counterpart at Essex
County Council, Lord
Hanningfield, said: 8220This
is not what the people of
Essex want and it8217s not
what the people ofBritain
need8221
q
Read more online at
www.hertsandessexobserver.
co.ukand one-third. Only three listed
buildings will be lost.
But he said: 8220There8217s a big pic-
ture here that people forget: that
the economic, social and other
benefits to the country and the
region outweigh the local envi-
ronmental effects. That8217s frankly
the basis on which these deci-
sions get taken and that8217s the
comparison the Government is
trying to make.8221WHAT ABOUT THE EFFECT ON
OUR ROADS AND RAILWAYS?The provision ofsufficient
infrastructure to support growth
has been a major bone ofcon-
tention throughout the airport8217s
development, and protesters
accuse BAA ofpiling pressure on
already overstretched public
transport and roads.
Mr McDermid said the bulk of
BAA8217s spending on the second
runway project had been directed
at finding the best travel solu-
tions with the Highways Agency
and Network Rail.
The Government has already
recommended accelerating M11
widening and adding extra track
on the line into Liverpool Street
and announced its preferred
plans for access into the airport
from the A120 and M11.
Mr McDermid said: 8220It serves
absolutely no purpose ofours for
people to struggle to get to and
from the airport. Why would we
want our passengers to struggle?8221CAN BAA AFFORD IT?The airport8217s critics and cus-
tomers have condemned the cost
ofthe second runway and ques-
tioned BAA8217s ability to pay the bill
at a time when its owner, the
Ferrovial-led ADI consortium,
faces massive debts and demands
for the company to be broken up
and either Gatwick or Stansted
sold off.
On Monday, bosses confirmed a
deal to hive offits duty free shops
for more than 163500m.
Mr McDermid, who will be
arguing the case this week before
the Competition Commission,
said BAA wanted to keep all its
airports, but any break-up would
not crash the second runway.
The total cost ofdelivering G2
has already been slashed from
almost 1635bn to 1632.5bn and Mr
McDermid said the project was
affordable, with bills set to be cov-
ered by an extra 1632 on the current
1636-per-passenger levy paid by air-
lines Ryanair and Easyjet for a
period of10 years.
He said: 8220I think people will pay
that for the opportunity to
travel.8221
VISION OF THE
FUTURE?: The
latest plan
released byBAA
shows how the
second runway
would affect the
layout of Stansted
Airport (s)BADGE OF HONOUR: Ray Woodcock makes his feelings known as SSE
campaigners gather at the Three Horseshoes in Molehill Green on TuesdayPhoto: S4CBSSCS-23BAA 8216declaring war8217 on
local community -- SSEST
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