01/12/11 Protecting The Kent Countryside - CPRE

Following the autumn statement by the Chancellor George Osborne, CPRE Protect Kent is increasingly concerned about the loss of our beautiful Kentish countryside.

A new regional hub airport was mentioned, which could well mean that the Chancellor has now warmed to the idea of either Boris Johnson’s or Lord Foster’s plan for an estuary airport. This statement has the potential to result in the destruction of a huge area of our natural landscape, whilst also bringing the additional hazards of air and noise pollution.

Jamie Weir, spokesperson for CPRE Protect Kent says of the statement: “The sentence in the statement regarding a new hub airport in the South East is a real body blow to all campaigners like ourselves who have been working hard to ensure that a madcap scheme such as the estuary airport never comes to fruition. We hope that the Chancellor and Prime Minister reconsider their ideas, especially in light of the Country’s carbon reduction targets.”
 
CPRE Protect Kent is also worried by the Governments thoughts on road building and their massive infrastructure projects.

“We utterly fail to see how laying tarmac, which will likely lead to out of town shopping centres, is going to regenerate the economy in any kind of sustainable manner. It is extremely worrying to see this kind of short term thinking, especially when the Governments current plans appear to be failing”.

“We have been fighting a new lower Thames crossing for many years, and it is worrying that the Government appear to be committing themselves to this before any kind of detailed plans have undergone any kind of consultation. This particular road building scheme would be likely to have a devastating impact on the environment in the Kent Downs AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty)”.

We would urge the politicians in Westminster to rethink their plans to build without any regard to our beautiful natural environment as once the damage is done, it can likely never be undone.

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