The Joint Area Action Plan 'Preferred Option' document, produced by Southend Borough Council and Rochford District Council, has been published today.
This proposes that the runway should be extended to "a net useable length of 1,799 metres", together with a new access road from the A127 to Eastwoodbury Lane, a new heavy maintenance area to the north of the runway and new business parks on the northern boundary of the airfield. Support will also be given by the Councils to any planning application to increase the capacity of the new (as yet unbuilt) passenger terminal to 2 million passengers per annum.
Passenger flight scheduling will be limited to between 06:30 and 23:00 Monday to Saturday and 07:00 to 23:00 Sundays. There will be a quota imposed on night freight flights and only ICAO Stage 3 & 4 aircraft will be allowed for both pax and freight flights.
All in all just about everything that the new owners would have wanted I suggest.
The Air Humberside forum also carries a report that groundworks have commenced today on the airport station site.