Herewith my replies to Shepway FOE's questions re the development of Lydd Airport and the prospect of Dungeness C:

I am opposed to the expansion of Lydd Airport, which is inappropriate on numerous grounds. A less suitable site for a busy regional airport is difficult to imagine. It would damage the fragile habitats of the Marsh, many of which are designated as SSSIs, etc; it would impact negatively on the RSPB reserve; it would bring unprecedented noise disturbance to the Marsh, particularly to the residents of Lydd who, because of the exclusion zones over the Dungeness nuclear facility and Lydd range, will be under the take-off flight-path for most days of the year; it would bring an unacceptable burden of extra traffic to local roads; and it would bring unacceptable risk of nuclear release from Dungeness as a result of accident or terrorist action. As I understand it, no nuclear facility in the world has a busy airport with large jet traffic this close to it, and with good reason. Further,I give little credence to the employment predictions made by Lydd Airport's management, which are little more than optimistic guesswork. I consider it far more likely that the number of extra jobs created would be limited, and that many of the better paid posts would go to specialist employees who do not live locally. The remaining jobs are likely to be low-paid and, judging by recent developments at the airport and Manston's continued under-utilisation, insecure. Against this have to be weighed the inevitable job losses that would occur in the local tourist industry. If the airport were to fail to fulfil its business plan, which I consider likely, it would take a considerable time to attract back the tourists that had been lost.

While I am no fan of fission power, I do consider that nuclear power has a significant role to play in limiting carbon dioxide emissions in the near and medium term. I also think it appropriate that a part of the country threatened by rising sea level should play a role in offsetting that threat. I would therefore support the development of Dungeness C and the employment it would bring, subject to the highest safety standards being employed in its construction. In my judgment, Dungeness C offers the prospect of greater and more secure long-term employment than development of Lydd Airport. Moreover, there is a real prospect that expansion of the airport would harm the prospects for Dungeness C because of the extra building costs that would be necessary to secure the facility against aircraft strike. This is yet another reason why the airport's expansion should be opposed.

Best regards,

Keith Howard
Lib-Dem candidate, Lydd ward