Well, after some ringing around and talking to a very depressed Vicar:
The airport has applied for planning permission to move or demolish the Church. See:
http://www.southendairport.net/Airpo...velopments.htm
The Vicar has been told that a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) will be applied for so that the Church can be taken over, then moved or demolished. Nobody knows whether CPOs can be used against a Church - it's never been done yet.
Nobody knows whether or not the necessary permissions will be given to demolish a Grade 1 Listed building. It seems unlikely to me, but I have been surprised before.
Meanwhile, the whole Church community is infuriated by the proposal to use CPO and the suggestion of demolishing the building. Churches all over Essex are being asked to write in to Southend Council opposing the proposal. I was given 100 copies of the leaflet for our Church, and am assured that similar quantities were sent to most Churches in the area.
The Vicar has also been told of several other Churches around the UK that are under threat, and for which this is a "test case". So there is a very strong body of opinion opposing the proposal because of the precedent it will create.
Sounds to me like very badly handled public relations. There is no way, now, that the Church authorities will consider agreeing to moving the Church.
I assume the CAA will take a lot of persuading to retract and reapprove the exemption to the safeguarding rules that's kept the airport and the Church working together for the past 50 years. That sounds to me like the only viable way out of this mess.
Sad. I think someone somewhere with ulterior motives may be going to get what they want.
My fear is that the result will be the closing of the airport and the building of yet another industrial estate.