Robert Marshall-Andrews

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No Airport @ Cliffe: And that's Official Government Policy - A job well done!

Bob Marshall-Andrews said, "I am delighted to report that the Government has now decided finally and without qualification to reject the concept of an airport at Cliffe. I have always asked for the earliest notification from ministers and this has been achieved.

"This represents a huge and significant victory for community and environmental organisations and for thousands of local people who have campaigned long and hard for this result.

"I feel extremely proud to have worked alongside so many of my constituents and to have ensured that the Government never underestimated our collective strength and determination. I am especially pleased that this campaign has been free from party politics...we have all pulled together regardless of our political differences and proved what can be done in these circumstances when everyone is under threat.

"We may even have achieved something that goes beyond victory - it was inevitable that any consultation should include a coastal site (as formerly with Maplin Sands) but the campaign has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the unique values of both our communities and our environment.

"This will undoubtedly ensure far greater protection from future development and the creation of a National Park."

The huge campaign to stop an international airport being built at Cliffe had gathered strength over recent months with several major reports concluding that it would be wrong to choose the area as an option.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), British Airways, British Airports Authority, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and Medway Council are among the organisations which had published evidence that was critical of Cliffe as a potential airport site. Even the Government's own Department of Transport's report questioned whether Cliffe would be a good idea due to the high risk of bird strikes.

Bob Marshall-Andrews added, "I spoke with the Prime Minister and Ministers responsible armed with the information from these reports and passionate pleas from the people directly affected by the proposal. I stressed that it is essential that the Government notified us of its decision as soon as possible saying that it is totally unacceptable that these communities had been living under a dark shadow for so long.

"I continue to speak to and correspond with the many local people who had been deeply worried by the proposal. To date I have answered more than 4,500 letters on the matter, attended meetings and rallies and finally in October co-hosting the RSPB Westminster lobby."