by Hayley Robinson

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is set to release the first part of a feasibility study into his proposed £40bn airport off Sheerness.

The study, which has been undertaken by the engineer behind Hong Kong's offshore airport, will look at any major hurdles that could prevent construction.

Plans for the project includes two man-made islands with four runways built two miles off Sheerness seafront.

It would operate around the clock and include a new high speed train link which would whisk passengers to London and the continent and improved ferry and motorway links.

The vision is that the new airport would solve overcrowding at Heathrow.

The idea of an island airport has been universally condemned in Kent, with politicians from all parties and local councils and environmental groups saying it is a non-starter.

Mr Johnson is at odds with his own party’s policy on aviation, which sets out an expansion of regional airport capacity using high-speed rail links to cities.

Kent County Council says it would prefer to see greater use of Manston Airport in Thanet.

Airport operator BAA has apparently questioned where the money would come from but according to the mayor’s deputy Kit Malthouse, oil rich countries in the Gulf and the Chinese government have expressed an interest in providing financial backing for the project.

A spokesman for the mayor’s office said: “Kit Malthouse made the comments during the Tory party conference.

“There has been interest from all quarters and from different parts of the world but it’s irrelevant at the moment as we are waiting for the feasibility study from Doug Oakervee to come out.

“Nothing is definite at the moment. It is not definite that it can be done or that we would want to do it but there’s a lot of interest in the idea. At this stage the most important thing is the feasibility study.”

The Kent Green Party says the airport should not happen because there are too many “practical problems”.

Spokesman Steve Dawe said: “The estuary airport idea of Boris Johnson’s has many practical problems.

“These include: The London Array wind turbines and concerns about impacts on bird life, and the noise 'footprint’ of circling aircraft over the whole of north west Kent from Dartford to Faversham.

“Domestic tourism and rail travel to the continent can substitute for flights, helping to boost UK tourism revenues. "

Kent Green Party wants Rochester, Manston and Lydd airports converted to other leisure uses to support domestic tourism, not international flights.