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Background:

Michael Monk, Chief Planning Officer
South Cambridgeshire District Council
9/11 Hills Road
Cambridge, CB2 1PB

It is also very important to write to the following MPs and your local Councillors:

Anne Campbell MP, The House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA	Judith Pinnington, Cambridge City Council The Guildhall Cambridge, CB2 3QJ
Andrew Lansley CBE MP, 153 St Neots Road, Hardwick, Cambridge, CB3 7QJ	Jean Hughes, Chair South Cambs Planning 50 High St Coton, CB3 7PL

Although an expansion of the airport might be profitable for Marshall's, it would not bring net economic benefits to Cambridge and the wider region as a whole. Cambridge would have to bear considerable social and environmental costs. These will have long term negative economic effects. Noise pollution is not merely an irritation; there are many schools and colleges in the flight path. Research at Cornell University in the USA and elsewhere shows that regular disturbance by aircraft noise seriously impairs learning. The development plans for thousands of passengers a day, which would greatly increase the existing traffic congestion and air pollution. Added to the jet emissions this would create serious health hazards. Stansted already serves the region, and Marshall's would provide an advantage only to relatively few passengers. When these marginal benefits are set against the overall economic social and environmental costs to the region, it makes little sense for Marshall's to compete with Stansted and to duplicate its excellent accessible services. If this were an application to build a completely new airport in this densely populated location, it seems unlikely that it would be approved. Any decision on Marshall's plans should await the outcome of the ongoing planning process on the regions needs and proper democratic and accountable consultation.

The South Cambs Planning Committee will decide in July / August 2002 The deadline for posting objections is likely to be postponed as well to around July '02 Statement by the chairwoman of the planning committee on 5 June '02: "Planning Application No. 1 - Marshalls Aerospace the planning committee has taken the decision to withdraw this item from today's agenda. I do this in order to retain public confidence in the Planning System. . . . SCDC is in the position of having to determine a planning application whose main impace( if there is any impact) will be felt within the boundary's of another local authority - in this case Cambridge City. Also the response we have received from Parish Councils have only commented on the principle of a replacement passenger terminal but not on any conditions attached to it. We have all received a lot of correspondance regarding this application. It has become clear to me however that there has been a lot of misunderstanding circulating. This I beleive has come about because the actual application itself was unclear as to its intentions and when you receive a letter from someone objecting to an extension to the runway and another suggesting that if we allow 15,000 movements per annum this will be similar to those at London Heathrow you realise the extent of this misunderstanding. Consultation must be based on the facts of the case with a proper understanding of the environmental impact. We shall therefore be inviting the applicants to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment and to submit an Environmental Statement, which will: better inform the Committee of the environmental and surface transport implications of varying levels of passenger aircraft movements, of types of aircraft movements and of hours of aircraft movement. better inform consultees and the public in reaching their considered representations; and help Committee to reach a judgement as to whether a noise amelioration scheme can and should be implemented at Cambridge Airport. In addition we will hope to use the services of our usual noise consultant Mr. Michael House to advise us on the way forward. We shall also discuss with the City Council the best way of consulting Cambridge residents and how to put the fact before them in a clear and umambigous manner."

SCAM (South Cambs Against Marshall's)
Geoffrey Ingham, phone: 01223 247584 gki1000@hermes.cam.ac.uk;
Angus Runciman 01223 246382 angus.runciman@fpk.com