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Public Inquiry 16 February  - 15 September 2011

The public inquiry ran from February 15th to September 16th, 2011, having originally been scheduled to last 4-6 weeks. The inquiry was held in the Shepway District Council's Council chamber. There were five Rule 6 Parties (able to cross examine) opposed to the planning application - Natural England, RSPB, Kent Wildlife, CPRE and LAAG and two in favour - Lydd Airport and Shepway District Council. The Shepway Labour Party  registered as a Rule 6 Party in favour of the development, but failed to attend.
   Public Inquiry Timetable (updated  25 August 2011)
    LAAG's Opening Statement to the Public Inquiry
    LAAG's Evidence to support the absence of an economic case and the need for the development
    LAAG's evidence  - Shepway District Council's unlawful decision to grant planning permission on March 3rd 2010.
    LAAG's Aviation Evidence - Malcolm Spaven, Spaven Consulting
    LAAG's Nuclear Evidence - Mrs Trudy Auty
    LAAG's Nuclear Evidence - John Large, Large & Associates
    LAAG's Nuclear evidence - Dr David Pitfield, Transport Studies, Loughborough University
    LAAG's Nuclear Evidence (Aviation Aspects) - Malcolm Spaven, Spaven Consulting
    LAAG's Evidence to support its belief that the planning application should be based on 2mppa - Mark Watts,       Luther Pendragon, Brussels.
    LAAG's Closing Statement to the Public Inquiry

Build-up to the Inquiry

October 2010  -  LAAG submitted its Statement of Case for the Lydd Airport public inquiry.You can read it here.. This was the first of a number of milestones which were undertaken before the start of the public inquiry on February 15th, 2011. The Statement of Case sets out the basis on which LAAG argued its case to the Inspector.  

24 June 2010 - The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government called-in London Ashford Airport’s (Lydd Airport’s) planning application for a public inquiry. 

3 March 2010 - At the Shepway District Council meeting on 3 March 2010, the councillors overturned the recommendations of their planning officers and voted to support the airport's planning application. The vote was 27 for, 13 against and 1 abstention.

Press Reports of the Inquiry                     LAAG Press Releases            LAAG Facebook Page

Keep yourself up to date with the latest press reports, below:

LAAG's Evidence to the Inquiry

            LAAG's Opening Statement 
            LAAG's Evidence to support the absence of an economic case and the need for the development
            LAAG's Aviation Evidence - Malcolm Spaven, Spaven Consulting
            Nuclear Evidence

LAAG's Evidence to support the absence of an economic case and the need for the development

You can read LAAG's evidence by clicking on the  links below: Some of the  files are quite large and therefore may take a bit longer to view.

LAAG/7/A - Need for development
LAAG/7/B - Summary Proof - Need for Development

LAAG/8/A - Economic Impact
LAAG/8/B - Appendices Economic Impact,  Appendix 1   Appendix 1 Face   Appendix 2   Appendix 2 Face                       Appendix 3    Appendix 3 Face   Appendix 4   Appendix 4 Face   Appendix 5   Appendix 5 Face
LAAG/8/B - Appendix 2: Cranfield University - Lydd Airport loss making at 500,000ppa
LAAG/8/C - Summary Proof - Economic Impact
LAAG/8/D - Rebuttal of LAA/4/A - (Lydd Airport's Economic Impact)
LAAG/8/E -  Rebuttal of SDC/3/A (SDC's Economic Impact)
LAAG/8/F -  Summary - Rebuttal of LAA/4/A
LAAG/8/G - Summary - Rebuttal of SDC/3/A 

LAAG/9/A - Conformity to Aviation White Paper
LAAG/9/B - Appendices: Conformity to Aviation White Paper    Appendix 1 page 1  
                      Appendix 1 page 2     Appendix 1 Face   Appendix 2    Appendix 2 Face

LAAG's evidence  - Shepway District Council's unlawful decision to grant planning permission on March 3rd 2010.

Evidence obtained by LAAG as a result of a Freedom of Information request shows that Shepway District Council colluded with Lydd Airport to concoct a scheme that would enable councillors to vote in favour of Lydd Airport’s planning application on March 3rd 2010. Evidence from Natural England was also withheld from members to ensure the yes vote was not impeded. The decision was unlawful. When a whistle blower came forward to give evidence on LAAG’s behalf, LAAG was banned from giving oral evidence on this subject at the public inquiry. more

LAAG/12/A - Final Proof of Evidence
LAAG/12/C - Proof of Evidence - Summary
LAAG/12/B - Appendices Overall Face    Appendix 1 Face   Appendix 1    Appendix 2 Face    Appendix 2
     Appendix 3 Face    Appendix 3    Appendix 4 Face   Appendix 4    Appendix 5 Face   Appendix 5
     Appendix 6A & 6B Face   Appendix 6A    Appendix 6B    Appendix 7 Face Pages 1-4 
     Appendix 7 Page1    Appendix 7 Page 2    Appendix 7 Page 3     Appendix 7 Page 4    Appendix 7A Face      Appendix 7A    Appendix 8 Face   Appendix 8    Appendix 9 Face Pages 1 & 2   Appendix 9 Page 1
     Appendix 9 Page 2    Appendix 10 Face   Appendix 10    Appendix 11 Face   Appendix 11    
     Appendix 12 Face   Appendix 12   Appendix 13 Face   Appendix 13

LAAG's Aviation Evidence - Malcolm Spaven, Spaven Consulting

Malcolm Spaven specialises in assessing, and developing solutions to, the impact of aviation on the environment and the impact of planning developments on aviation.  more about Malcolm Spaven

LAAG/10/A - Aviation Issues    
LAAG/10/D - Appendices Aviation Issues (LAAG/10/A)  (nb large file)
LAAG/10/B - Summary Proof: Aviation Issues -Operational
LAAG/10/C - Summary Proof: Aviation Issues - Nuclear
LAAG/10/E - Rebuttal
LAAG/13/A - Aviation Issues Rebuttal - to complement Malcolm Spaven’s LAAG/10/E
LAAG/10/F - Summary Rebuttal
LAAG/10/G - Erratum to proofs - LAAG/10/A & LAAG/10/E
LAAG/10/H - 2nd Supplementary proof of evidence
LAAG/10/1 - Appendices to 2nd set of Supplementary Proof of Evidence
LAAG/10/J - Note in Response To Points Raised In Cross-Examination On 11 March 2011
LAAG/10/K - Email from Defence Estates Clarifying the Opening Hours of The Lydd & Hythe Military   Ranges and The Status of The Radar

Nuclear Evidence

LAAG's Nuclear Evidence - Mrs Trudy Auty

Mrs Trudy Auty holds a BSc from Imperial College and is consultant with over 25 years of industrial experience. More about Mrs Auty. more about Mrs Auty

LAAG/3/A - Trudy Auty - Nuclear Safety Conflicts
LAAG/3/B - Trudy Auty - Appendices Nuclear Safety Conflicts  - Appendix 1 Face   Appendix 1-Letter 1
    Appendix 1-Letter 2    Appendix 1-Letter 3    Appendix 1-Letter 4    Appendix 1-Letter 5 
    Appendix 1-Letter 6    Appendix 2 - Face    Appendix 2-Pages 1-6    LAAG/3/B-Overall Face
LAAG/3/C - Trudy Auty - Summary Proof
LAAG/3/D - Trudy Auty - Rebuttal of LAAG/6/C - in relation to nuclear
LAAG/3/E - Supplementary Proof - Comment on ESR Reports
LAAG/3/F - Appendices LAAG/3/E  -  Appendix 1 - Face    Appendix 1    Appendix 2 - Face    Appendix 2
    Cover
LAAG/3/G - Background Crash Rate Definitions
LAAG/3/H - Nuclear Assessment Criteria (including BSO, BSLs and ALARP)
LAAG/3/I - Appendix to LAAG3H including specific document and letter extracts
LAAG/3/J - Precaution, Consequence Decisions and Inherent Risk

LAAG's Nuclear Evidence - John Large, Large & Associates

John Large is a Chartered Engineer who from the mid-1960s through to the late 1980s, was a full-time member of the Academic Staff at Brunel University and,  he founded Large & Associates in 1986 specialising in the nuclear field.
more about John Large
Note: The following documents are not included: LAAG/4/C, LAAG/4/F, LAAG/4/H, LAAG/4/J, LAAG/4/L and LAAG/4/N. These are appendices for paper based users. All John Large's work is fully electronically referenced from the prime source - anyone with access to email will not need these appendices.

LAAG/4/A   - John Large - Nuclear Safety
LAAG/4/B   - John Large - Summary Proof - Nuclear Safety
LAAG/4/C   - John Large - Appendices - Nuclear Power  see note
LAAG/4/D   - John Large - Additional Evidence 1- Nuclear Power (Aldermaston)-  Demographic siting Assessments
LAAG/4/E    - John Large - Summary Additional Evidence - (Aldermaston)- Demographic siting assessments
LAAG/4/F    - John Large - Appendices for LAAG/4/D  see note
LAAG/4/G   - John Large - Additional Evidence 2 - NII FOI response - ESR Report with faint pages
LAAG/4/H   - John Large - Appendices Additional Evidence 2  see note
LAAG/4/I   - John Large - Additional Evidence 2A - NII “fuller - all legible” ESR Report FOI response
LAAG/4/J - Appendix - “Fuller” ESR report  see note
LAAG/4/K - John Large - Additional Evidence 1A - Demographic Siting Assessments Dungeness A & B
LAAG/4/L - Appendix to LAAG/4/K  see note
LAAG/4/M - John Large - Further examples of the application of site issues to planning controls and restrictions nearby nuclear licensed sites
LAAG/4/N - Appendices to- LAAG/4/M  see note
LAAG/4/0 - Key

LAAG's nuclear evidence - Dr David Pitfield, Transport Studies, Loughborough University

Dr Pitfield has been a lecturer and researcher at Loughborough University from the 1970’s and is currently the programme director for the undergraduate degree in Air Transport Management.  more about David Pitfield

LAAG/5/A   - Dr David Pitfield - Airport Accident Prediction
LAAG/5/B   - Dr David Pitfield - Summary Proof - Airport Accident Prediction

LAAG's Nuclear Evidence (Aviation Aspects) - Malcolm Spaven, Spaven Consulting

For aviation aspects related to the nuclear case - see above: LAAG/10/A, LAAG/10/C, LAAG/10/E and LAAG/10/F

LAAG's Evidence to support its belief that the planning application should be based on 2mppa - Mark Watts, Luther Pendragon, Brussels.

            LAAG/11/A - Mark Watts Proof of Evidence
            LAAG/11/B  - Appendices Overall Face    Appendix A Face   Appendix A Cranfield Report 
                Appendix B Face   Appendix B   Appendix C Face   Appendix C    Appendix D Face    Appendix D Page 1
                Appendix D Page 2    Appendix E Face   Appendix E
            LAAG/11/C - Summary of LAAG/11/A and LAAG/11/B
            LAAG/11/D - Rebuttal of LAA evidence
            LAAG/11/E - Appendices to Rebuttal of LAA Evidence Overall Face   Appendix 1    Appendix 2   Appendix 3
                 Appendix 4
            LAAG/11/F - supplementary evidence