I simply refuse to believe that anyone is seriously considering pouring £400 million pounds into Wolverhampton.
Furthermore it is absurd to suggest that people living in the area would take foreign holidays on the basis that the airfield was developed. Those who wish to holiday in Wales, or other parts of the UK generally do so for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with the proximity to their nearest airport, even overlooking the fact that Birmingham Airport is just down the road. I’m sure that this is as blindingly obvious to Stourbridge MP Debra Shipley as it is to me. The woman clearly understands that it will have virtually no impact on the local tourist industry; she simply does not want to have aeroplanes ‘buzzing around’ and this tenuous excuse is as good as any other.
Bobbington, Kinver and Claverley quite simply do not attract a lot of walkers. I should know. I was brought up between Bobbington and Claverley. If any one is minded to visit Shropshire for the walking they will almost certainly set their sights further to the South and West of the County and visit the Long Mynd.
The kind of person who would choose to spend their spare time and holidays visiting the countryside of Shropshire (and I recommend it to you all) would not be swayed towards a fortnights beer fest in Kavos instead simply because there is an airfield in the area. Instead I would imagine the effect on local tourism would be quite the opposite.