A DECISION on a new airport in the South East, including the option at Cliffe in North Kent, will be made on November 30, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has told Gravesend Messenger's Alan Watkins. It followed his announcement on proposals to boost airport capacity, made in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon.

He said MPs were all in favour of a short consultation period because of the cloud hanging over the affected villages. In North Kent, the future of Allhallows and Allhallows-on-Sea hang in the balance. They could disappear from the map if a Cliffe airport is approved.

"It's important to give a decision quickly for the sake of the people of Allhallows and elsewhere in the country," Mr Darling said. "It's not in anyone's interest that you drag this on and on. I think four months is sufficient," he said. The Government report estimates the benefits of having an airport at Cliffe would boost the North Kent / South Essex economy to the tune of £8.4 billion. But it warns it would cost £200m to create new wildlife habitats in Kent. The Transport Secretary also talked about RSPB's opposition. He said it would be much better if the organisation concentrated on making reasoned arguments at this stage, rather than opposing a proposal before any decision to be made.

He said that despite opposition from MPs, Heathrow and Stansted were still being considered. "The impact would benefit Kent in terms of jobs but against that you have to consider the impact on the peninsular and recognise it is home to a large number of birds and is a site of special scientific interest," he said.

Another chief benefit would be enhancing the regeneration of the Thames Gateway and creating 79,000 jobs in an area where there are100,000 local workers looking for employment. By 2030, it is estimated there could be additional 162,000 households in the area if the airport gets the go-ahead.