22 October 2010
A proposal to build a major airport on the Hoo peninsula near Gravesend is one of several options being considered by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson wants to increase flight capacity around London without expanding Heathrow Airport. A spokesperson for the Mayor said it is vital that a location for extra runway capacity is found for London to remain one of the leading world cities.
The site, planned for completion by 2025 and estimated to cost around £14 billion, would be a 24-hour operational airport in a bid to phase out airlines from Heathrow and transfer them to the peninsula. A rail link would connect the airport to London St Pancras, using the Channel Tunnel route. It has been claimed that the noise pollution would only affect 56,00 residents, rather than the current 3 million under Heathrow flight paths.
In 2002, a new airport at Cliffe on the Hoo peninsula was one of several options being considered by the Government for airport expansion in the South East. However, in December 2003, the Government decided to leave Cliffe out of its airport expansion plans. The latest proposals for the Hoo peninsula have been put forward by former Head of the airline Cathay Pacific, John Olsen.