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Vale airport ‘unlikely’ but it ‘would destroy and transform’ north Bucks says county council leader
There were vast protests when an airport was last proposed in the Vale in the 1970s
An airport could be built in the Aylesbury Vale as an alternative to the third runway at Heathrow.
National newspapers have speculated the airport could be located between Winslow and Wing, after a report claimed a Chinese business consortium was to announce the location along the route of HS2 with £60bn backing.
However Bucks County Council leader Martin Tett played down the speculation.
He said: “Most of it appears to be unsourced.”
The plans are one of two alternatives to Heathrow, which are believed to be backed by an unnamed Chinese consortium. The other is between Maidenhead, Reading and Bracknell.
It is the possible involvement of the Far East country which meant Mr Tett refused to fully discredit the proposals taking shape.
“The Chinese do these sort of things. They are very big on building airports.
“There are propositions to build them in South Africa. That’s why I think there might just be something behind this.”
While Mr Tett stressed the unlikelihood of the airport ever coming to fruition, he did say he thought the council would oppose such plans.
“It would completely transform north Bucks. If you look at Heathrow, it was all farm land and it’s now just constructed suburbia.
“I’m not sure that’s what the residents of the area would want.
“It would not feel right.”
A YouGov poll appeared to echo Mr Tett’s sentiments with only 37% backing an airport along the Thames Estuary.
Mr Tett also said the fierce protests at the proposals of an airport in Cublington in 1971 were further evidence the idea would not be welcomed. Mr Tett said the negatives of the proposals would far outweigh any positives. “This far away from London it is possible to say, ‘why here rather than anywhere else?’
“Locally it might result in new jobs and economic growth but it would completely destroy and transform the area.”
The government has set up an independent commission to explore options.
A decision will not be announced until the summer of 2015.
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Weather for Aylesbury
Saturday 25 May 2013
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Temperature: 5 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
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