London Mayor Boris Johnson's proposal to build an airport near the Isle of Sheppey was rejected at a full meeting of Medway Council on 6 March. Councillors pledged to oppose any future plans on grounds that include the project's damaging environmental impact.
Chris Corrigan, the RSPB South East's regional director, said: 'Medway Council should be applauded for the strong stance it is taking against Mayor Johnson's ludicrous ideas.
'We worked closely with Medway Council seven years ago, when the idea of a Thames Estuary airport was last raised then comprehensively ruled out. Nothing has changed from then until now – to build an airport in one of the UK's most precious wildlife sites is utter madness. Let's hope decisions like this one will help sink Boris Island once and for all.'
The Thames Estuary is used by 300,000 migratory birds and is home to one of the biggest array of internationally protected habitats in Europe. The massive environmental damage building an airport in the Estuary would cause means the RSPB is firmly opposed to the move.
The idea of an airport in the Thames Estuary was exhaustively investigated by the government between 2002-2005 and conclusively ruled out as a viable option.
The investigation found an estuary airport did not make sense economically, would not meet the requirements of the aviation industry, and presented a significantly higher risk of ‘bird strike' than at any other major airport in the UK.
The campaign against the airport also generated the biggest response to a government consultation, with the RSPB and local communities collecting 150,000 letters of protest.