Tory leader David Cameron was today under pressure to declare whether he would support a Thames Estuary airport after a report commissioned by Mayor Boris Johnson said constructing it was "technically feasible".
The Conservatives have pledged to scrap government plans for a third runway at Heathrow but have refused to say how they would tackle demand for extra flights.
Today's report by engineer Doug Oakervee, who helped plan Hong Kong's island airport, says building four runways on a so-called "Boris Island" off the coast of Whitstable presents "no overwhelming obstacles".
Mr Oakervee believes critics overstate potential problems and said that to build the airport by 2029 and ease air traffic congestion approval must happen by 1 June 2010, weeks after a potential Tory election victory.
The decision would have to be made at Westminster, not by Mr Johnson. Shadow transport secretary Teresa Villiers said the project was "not something the Conservative Party is looking into", but her deputy Bernard Jenkin said: "If we could prove that this was fundable I think this idea will then be in play."
Reader views (21)
I am under the Manston flight path & only notice occasional low-flying cargo planes Would love a commercial airport here. Manston is a lovely airport...we went to Yugoslavia years ago...what a relaxed experience...bring it back!
- Fran Witherden, Ramsgate Kent
Manston does not have 'one of the longest runways in Europe'. It has the 14th longest runway in the UK. It has already been ruled out as a major airport by a government report because of its proximity to a town of 40,000 people with 911 listed buildings.
- Richard Eastcliff, Ramsgate, Kent
As far as Manston being suggested as an alternative, myself and 40,000 other Ramsgate residents who are one and a half miles from the end of the runway are already fed up with 747s flying less than 1000 ft over our houses as it is. People who think the flight path is over farmland and sea only need to look at a map to see how much of a problem it is for us. KCC are fighting this on environmental grounds - what about our environment and our many blue flag beaches? KCC doesn't seem to care about that.
- Sam Jones, Ramsgate, Kent
I simply do not understand how all these pro Heathrow people sleep at night. Heathrow causes premature death - this is a government finding, it contributes to asthma rates the highest in Europe, it is pumping tixic exhaust fumes across most of central and west London with no satisfactoy study conducted as to the health impacts of the emmissions. It destroys education for upwards of 100,000 kids and ruins the calm and tranquility of 2 million people. Our competitors in Europe have all built purpose built airports located to MINIMISE this list of utter misery (Paris x 3 times) - only UK plc and some of you utterly barbaric and frankly totally dispasionate contributors here seem to think its ok. I think 30,00 macjobs (the rest are aviation crews, taxi drivers etc Heathrow claims it employess - utter lies of course) could move to esat london and save people - Heathrow could be redeveloped a s a busines spark and high speed links built to accomadate the its too far issues of the negative's - BAA would be allowed to bid for management of the new airport - with strict SLAs and penalties os they could have a stake in the future. Really people the current state is barbaric and its costing your fellow human beings really pain, misery and death - how can any of you condone adding yet more misery to your fellow humans?
- Christian Ball, London
The mayor of London isn't responsible for such thing calling it a monstrosity is just an understatement but it seems that the labour party are responsible for such decisions what the labour party are in trouble for again, with the conservatives putting them up to it???
- Colin, Manchester, England
Er, hang on. Let's see now.
Aviation is the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions.
The Copenhagen Conference will shortly decide how nations are going to cut greenhouse emissions in order to stave off climate catastrophe.
The solution to the Heathrow third runway debate is to build it a great big airport in the middle of nowhere.
That can't be right. Only a complete idiot would come up with an idea like that.
- Austen, London
Patrick, Wandsworth,London:
If you don't like living under the Heathrow flight path then why don't you move..?? Oh but no doubt you like it there and don't see why you should have to move...So what we'll do is just re-locate the whole work force at Heathrow to a new airport in the Thames Estuary, and put them to the inconvenience of moving to a new area instead.
In case you're wondering - yeah, I do live under the flight path to Runway 27L...And no...I don't work at the airport.
- Mark H, London, England
I wonder what the residents of Kent and Essex have to say about this..?
Still it'll please the residents of Hammersmith and Barnes no doubt..Oh and Newham too.
- Mark H, London, England
WE ARE we are told in Europe? Lisbon Treaty and all that and BAA Iberian Owned?
Why not then a pan-european solution. A NEW 4/6 intercontinental Euro-Port in sparsely populated areas on NW France and high speed rail liks to Capital Cities and/or commuter jets leaving existing airports for holiday/charter flights?
Loss of jobs? UK workers living in East London/Kent would get to this new hub quicker than they can get to heathrow and far quicker than most workers on the "mainland"
- Roy, Billericay Essex
Why not develop Manston (Kent International Airport). All it requires is a high speed rail link via Ashford to London. The runway is one of the longest in Europe and the flight path is mainly over the sea and farmland. What is the problem? It would bring prosperity to this part of Kent. It seems obvious to me that this is a viable place for another London Airport but I guess I am just a straight thinker and not a politicain.
- Wally, Sevenoaks, England
You should try living under the Heathrow flightpath where I do in south west London and you would see why an airport out in the estuary would stop all the disturbance we get from 4am every morning. I gather the Arabs and the Chinese are keen to pay for it so more power to their elbow, I say.
- Patrick, Wandsworth,London
Yo have one of the longest runways in europe at the former RAF Manston now called jokingly Manston International!
All that is required is the correct links ,train, road etc. its the best option by far!
- Terence Harrington, Canterbury, UK
What are they going to do about the SS Richard Montgomery?
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey
I don't get it.
People outside London will, generally, need to travel further to get to the airport - pollution.
We already have a large airport - Heathrow.
Wipe out wildlife and pollute another area ?
- Mike, London
I'm slightly confused by these plans. I can see the runways, the terminals on the banks of the Thames, but where do the planes go once they've landed??? There don't seem to be any terminal buildings on the islands
- Richard, London
This is one of the reasons why Boris put a fare increase of 2.5% on london transport and topped up with a 16% Tax on london travel.
- Dave, london
Medway Council, Kent County Council and the RSPB have today started a campaign against the Mayor of London's Thames Estuary Airport plans and launched an online petition. For more details go to www.stopestuaryairport.co.uk
- John Staples, Medway
So the Tories are going to block the extension to Heathrow but build another airport...
- Andy, london
I don't understand this - there's plenty of runway capacity at both Luton and Stanstead. There's no reason to build a new runway, maybe just extra terminal capacity.
Madness!
- Stuart Robb, London, UK
Well lest see if Cameron has the foresight to go ahed with this project or see London relegated to a regional European Airport. Clearly 2 runways at Heathrow is not enough and this solution would move all the noise and the danger away from central London. It's a bold, creative and sensible long-term plan - please get on with it and stop thinking that by denying heathrow expansion we can solve climate change.
- Dave, London
At last, a bold idea;an exciting concept, and a project which will give the whole country something to be proud of. Solves the boring old Heathow debate, pacifies the 'environmentalists' and should please the 'keynsian
economists and financiers alike. What better to pull us out of a recession that to build an island, to create materials and work for future commercial benefit and paid for with tomorrow's money. Just like the Hoover Damn;a huge offshore gambling and entertainment centre could be incorporated.......difficult to not get excited!
One great opportunity that was missed was the proposed airport at Foulness, which to be fair may have been ahead of its time. This proposal has arrived on time, now where are the Jerimiahs, and the doubting Thomas's
- Sam Dickins, London
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