Southend airport is currently trying to extend the runway to accomodate the CAA requirement for run-off zones.
The problem that it has is that there is a very attractive Norman church just off the end of the runway. The airport has put up a very generous proposal to move the church, build a village hall etc, but this has run into opposition.
If the runoff zones are not built, then the runway length will have to be decreased to accomodate the zones within the existing runway length.
This will limit the size of aircraft that can use the airport and eventually, hey presto! another housing estate!
I think that our regional airports should be expanded to take a bigger volume of short-haul traffic, rather than just have two or three enormous airports serving the entire country.
Genghis, as a buirdwatcher myself, Cliffe is too precious to be built on. The Thames estuary is a habitat of international importance.