Silvastrata, I'm no nimby - I work at Gatwick!
I stand by my first comments. The North Sea / Estuary area is extremely prone to fog. Even if CAT3b gets all these aircraft landed, Low Vis procedures would still make taxy to and from stands difficult and slow.
Birds like estuary wetlands, as you say. But this airport will not be a wetland, it will be a concrete slab in the coastal North Sea. There will be no wetlands, no reed beds, no shallow waters - nothing of interest to most sea birds.
The Airport itself would indeed not be a wetland, but the area is surrounded by mudflats and sandbanks which is prime Wildfowl Wetland. They would be constantly crossing the Approach & Departure Runway Climb-out Areas. Even if engines can be made to withstand the odd goose or three; they could still penetrate the Radome and end up in the Flight Deck!
Plus, the wreck of the Montgomery full of unstable explosives would have to be dealt with. Not sure where the money is going to come from.
Much cheaper to build another Runway at LHR and LGW and may be Stansted too!
