Proposals for £18.2bn international airport blasted by politicians

AMBITIOUS proposals to build an £18.2bn international airport near Abingdon have been met with strong criticism from local politicians.
Proposals for London Oxford International have been submitted to the Government’s Airports Commission by Bristol-based architects Pleiade Associates as one of the options for airport expansion in the South East.
The plans would involve turning part of the A34 between Didcot and the M4 at Chieveley into a motorway and would see a four-runway airport built in the Vale of the White Horse near Abingdon, which would have a capacity for 125 million passengers a year.
However, the proposals have faced a backlash from Newbury MP Richard Benyon, who insisted he would not support the idea.
Mr Benyon said: “I couldn’t think of a more inappropriate and less suitable place to build an international airport. It sounds like a really daft idea to me.”
West Berkshire Council executive for transport policy, Hilary Cole, echoed his concerns.
“It is the first I have heard of such proposals, but I certainly don’t think they are a good idea,” she said.
“I am certain that it would cause a tremendous amount of protest in the area and I think we should perhaps concentrate on our own infrastructure works rather than worry about an airport, which I don’t think is necessarily needed.”
In a speech on Monday, Howard Davies, the chairman of the Airports Commission, stressed that additional capacity was necessary, particularly in the South East, to avoid restricting passenger choice and to protect the resilience of UK airports.
However, the MEP for South East England, Keith Taylor, has responded with anger to those comments.
He said: “Aviation is a massive threat to our climate and to the health and wellbeing of people across the country.
“It’s time our Government stopped burying its head in the sand and faced up to its responsibilities to people and to the planet.
“I have heard the concerns of my constituents, and will be fighting with them against any airport expansion.”
If approved, the airport is unlikely to open until 2023 and would be accessed principally via the M4 (junction13) and the M40 (junction 8) and via the A34, A415 and A338.
Junction 13 of the M4 would be modified and the A34, which runs along the east side of the airport site, would be widened to dual four-lane motorway standard between junction 13 of the M4 and Abingdon, a distance of around 30 km.
Another section of dual four-lane motorway is proposed from the A34 at Didcot to the M40 (junction 8), a distance of around 20km, and there would be enhanced capacity on the Great Western mainline railway.
The airport would also feature an Air Cargo Centre, an aircraft maintenance centre, a hotel and a new main line railway station with eight platforms adjoining the passenger terminals.
The Airports Commission is expected to draw up a shortlist of options in December.