:00:03. > :00:06.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith, and I'm Polly Evans.
:00:06. > :00:09.Tonight's top stories: Plans for a Thames Airport estuary
:00:09. > :00:19.WILL be seriously considered as the Government changes its thinking on
:00:19. > :00:23.
:00:23. > :00:27."Boris Island". We will explore all the options for maintaining the
:00:27. > :00:29.UK's aviation hub status. Campaigners say they have fought
:00:29. > :00:34.off plans for a new South East airport before, and they're
:00:34. > :00:40.prepared to fight again. We are flabbergasted that this location
:00:40. > :00:48.has even been taken seriously. They cite surrounded by wild life has to
:00:48. > :00:51.be the least sensible area for any building. We will have reaction
:00:51. > :00:54.from the Isle of Grain, the Medway Towns and Westminster.
:00:54. > :00:56.Also in tonight's programme: A �400 million plan for a second ferry
:00:56. > :00:59.terminal at Dover gets the green light from the Government.
:00:59. > :01:02.The strike starts at midnight - thousands of the South East's
:01:02. > :01:11.public sector workers are expected to take industrial action in a
:01:11. > :01:14.battle over pensions. And the dress Amy Winehouse wore
:01:14. > :01:24.for her Back To Black album sells for over �43,000 at a charity
:01:24. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:36.Good evening. Proposals to build a huge new hub airport in the Thames
:01:36. > :01:41.Estuary will be seriously considered by the Government, the
:01:41. > :01:44.Chancellor revealed today. The announcement that all options will
:01:44. > :01:48.be explored by ministers, in order to maintain the South East's status
:01:49. > :01:51.as an international aviation hub, is a marked shift in thinking.
:01:51. > :01:56.George Osborne told the Commons this afternoon that nothing would
:01:56. > :01:58.be ruled out, except for a third runway at Heathrow. Previously,
:01:58. > :02:08.ministers had maintained they had no plans for a Thames Estuary
:02:08. > :02:10.
:02:10. > :02:18.airport. We will explore all the options for
:02:18. > :02:22.maintain the Duke the's aviation hub status. -- the UK's. It was the
:02:22. > :02:32.first public acknowledgement that the government would look at plans
:02:32. > :02:38.for a club airport in the South East. -- hub airport. There are two
:02:39. > :02:46.plans in the public domain: Boris Island, and Lord Foster's plans for
:02:46. > :02:51.a hub airport on the Isle of Grain. There is an awful lot of interest,
:02:51. > :02:56.largely because of the potential to attract investment, encourage
:02:56. > :03:01.growth, give us the opportunity to expand as the economy, and give us
:03:01. > :03:06.the tools we need as a nation. want our business community to be
:03:06. > :03:11.able to communicate with those growth economies in China and Latin
:03:11. > :03:16.America. We need to think more imaginatively. Imagination is not
:03:16. > :03:22.what the residents in Cliffe want. They have fought a battle to reject
:03:22. > :03:27.a similar plans. But now the County Council appeared to support the
:03:27. > :03:33.idea. You seem to be saying a hub airport is what we need? I still
:03:33. > :03:40.retained the views of a year or two when Boris announced the estuary
:03:40. > :03:47.airport. I think he is barking mad! The reason they need to expand in
:03:47. > :03:51.the South East of England,... A second runway in Gatwick but --
:03:51. > :03:55.would be an option, or you could look at the Isle of Grain
:03:55. > :04:00.proposition which I don't support because there is a better solution
:04:00. > :04:03.on the other side of the estuary. whether it is Essex, Kent or the
:04:03. > :04:07.River Thames, the politicians appear to have shifted their
:04:07. > :04:12.position, and are willing to consider a new airport in the South
:04:12. > :04:15.East. But that is a long way to becoming a reality.
:04:15. > :04:18.The arguments over plans for a new South East airport have been raging
:04:18. > :04:21.for many years. In 2003, the Government ruled out building a new
:04:21. > :04:25.airport at Cliffe in North Kent, choosing to concentrate instead on
:04:25. > :04:28.choosing to concentrate instead on growth at Stansted and Heathrow.
:04:28. > :04:30.Five years later, the Mayor of London re-invented the idea with
:04:30. > :04:32.his so-called "Boris Island" plan, his so-called "Boris Island" plan,
:04:32. > :04:35.which he was reported to have described as the "biggest and
:04:35. > :04:38.described as the "biggest and bravest project" that he could do.
:04:38. > :04:41.Opponents dubbed it "pie in the sky", and over the past few years,
:04:41. > :04:48.including when he spoke to me on this programme, David Cameron
:04:48. > :04:55.this programme, David Cameron repeatedly dismissed the idea.
:04:55. > :05:03.Boris is a great Mayor of London. But building airports is not his
:05:03. > :05:11.responsibility! That is not our policy or approach. We say no to a
:05:11. > :05:13.third runway. The Department of Transport has no plans for a new
:05:13. > :05:16.airport. airport.
:05:16. > :05:19.So what are the other options? The coalition government ruled out a
:05:19. > :05:22.third runway at Heathrow as soon as they came into power, a point
:05:22. > :05:25.reiterated by the Chancellor today. There are expansion plans at
:05:25. > :05:27.Gatwick to cater for an extra 7 million passengers a year, but
:05:27. > :05:29.legal restrictions currently prevent a second runway. And
:05:29. > :05:32.airline bosses have criticised proposals for a high-speed train
:05:32. > :05:38.link between Heathrow and Gatwick, the so-called "Heathwick" plan, as
:05:38. > :05:42."inefficient" and "not the answer" to our aviation challenges. Mark
:05:42. > :05:44.Norman is live on the Isle of Grain for us now. Mark, how likely is it
:05:45. > :05:53.that where you're standing now will that where you're standing now will
:05:53. > :05:57.one day be part of a �40 billion airport? It remains to be seen, but
:05:57. > :06:04.the government believe that large infrastructure projects are the way
:06:04. > :06:11.forward to galvanise the economy. But where will the money come from?
:06:11. > :06:15.It wouldn't be the tax payer. Lord Foster, who wants to build his
:06:15. > :06:21.airport care, says the money is available here from private sources.
:06:21. > :06:27.Them airline boss said the money is not there, however. -- and airline
:06:27. > :06:29.boss. It remains to be seen what exactly what happened, but I'm not
:06:29. > :06:32.convinced whether it will happen here.
:06:32. > :06:35.The Government is inviting people to put forward their views on the
:06:35. > :06:41.future of aviation policy, and the next step is publication of draft
:06:41. > :06:47.proposals that will go out for consultation in spring next year.
:06:47. > :06:57.If they were to create a new airport, it would bring tens of
:06:57. > :07:02.
:07:02. > :07:12.thousands of new jobs. James fared a new airport would
:07:12. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:19.lead to their home been concreted over. -- freer. -- James fears.
:07:19. > :07:25.don't want to move, and we want to keep our house! That is the bottom
:07:25. > :07:29.line. An airport would change his area ever. Campaigners who fought
:07:29. > :07:37.off an airport at Cliffe say it would raise the same environmental
:07:37. > :07:40.concerns. We are flabbergasted that this location has even been taken
:07:40. > :07:46.seriously. This site surrounded by a wildlife has got to be the least
:07:46. > :07:50.sensible area for any major infrastructure. But in Chatham,
:07:50. > :07:59.people out of work say anything that offers hope must be considered.
:07:59. > :08:09.I had been looking for a job for, well, since 20th September 10, so
:08:09. > :08:11.
:08:11. > :08:21.any chance full employment must be good for the area. -- sense SEP-
:08:21. > :08:25.
:08:25. > :08:32.2010. -- since 20th September 10. - - since September, 2010. I came
:08:32. > :08:40.here because it is quiet. I think it is rubbish, personally. I doubt
:08:40. > :08:48.if they will ever put on a board table stop we have got up our game.
:08:48. > :08:51.-- I doubt if they will ever put an airport tipple stop we will have a
:08:52. > :08:55.study of our own. The solution is to make better use of existing
:08:55. > :08:58.airports, not build a new one. Simon Jones with that report, and
:08:58. > :09:04.he's live in Chatham. Simon, do Medway Council now accept that that
:09:04. > :09:10.they have got a real fight on their hands to stop a new airport there?
:09:10. > :09:15.Until now, man -- Medway council has described the idea as pie-in-
:09:15. > :09:19.the-sky. But I think they now accept they have to make a
:09:20. > :09:26.compelling case against it. One argument is going to be the effect
:09:26. > :09:29.on a wildlife and birds, but then a document released by the government,
:09:29. > :09:34.looking at infrastructure projects, is says considering this issue
:09:34. > :09:37.should not be allowed to add cost and delay to developments.
:09:37. > :09:40.Our political editor, Louise Stewart, is live in Westminster.
:09:40. > :09:43.Louise, this looks like a really significant change in position for
:09:43. > :09:50.the government from where they were when they came to power 18 months
:09:50. > :10:00.ago. It is not a change in policy, but seems to be a change in
:10:00. > :10:05.thinking and language. I am joined by the MP, Michael, and by a Labour
:10:05. > :10:12.MP. Michael, is there is a significant change for the
:10:12. > :10:18.government? No, it is not a decision. The government has got an
:10:18. > :10:23.overall review going on airport capacity. I think all that has
:10:23. > :10:26.happened is they will say any proposals put forward as a new
:10:26. > :10:31.airport in the Thames Estuary, they will have a look at them. But there
:10:31. > :10:36.is no decision yet. I would be surprised if this goes further.
:10:36. > :10:43.David Cameron said there are no plans for a hub airport in the
:10:43. > :10:48.South East, and the Chancellor seemed to change that. Is it
:10:48. > :10:52.gaining momentum? We have ruled out any expansion of Heathrow. You
:10:52. > :10:56.can't expand at Gatwick because of the terms of the least of that
:10:56. > :11:01.airport. But overall, you have got a look at the whole region, the
:11:01. > :11:08.horror of the South East, and be sure you have enough capacity as a
:11:08. > :11:14.these airports fill up. -- whole of the South East. So how do do that?
:11:14. > :11:21.You can look at existing airports, like Stansted, but we will look at
:11:21. > :11:29.new proposals examined. But I don't think this is in any advanced stage.
:11:29. > :11:39.What would you say, as a Labour MP? This is a big infrastructure
:11:39. > :11:39.
:11:39. > :11:43.project. It is unlikely to happen. Like a lot of this Budget, there is
:11:43. > :11:48.a lot of big talk, but it is not delivering. Last year, the
:11:48. > :11:54.government made a mistake to cut public spending. We found out today
:11:54. > :11:59.that unemployment has gone up, there is no group, but the
:11:59. > :12:04.Government is borrowing far more than it said it would a year ago.
:12:04. > :12:09.They are project announced today. What is clear to ours, we think the
:12:09. > :12:16.government should have had a better approach to deficit reduction. --
:12:17. > :12:23.clear to us. We want to see stop the war happen. We were going to
:12:23. > :12:28.rebuild schools. The building for schools programme has been scrapped.
:12:28. > :12:31.Thank you very much indeed. We want to know what you think. Is
:12:31. > :12:34.the Government right to give serious consideration to a Thames
:12:34. > :12:36.Estuary airport? Or are ministers wrong to ignore concerted
:12:36. > :12:39.opposition from people who live there, local councillors and
:12:39. > :12:41.environmentalists? Email your views, environmentalists? Email your views,
:12:41. > :12:47.or join the debate on our Facebook site, and we'll hear your comments
:12:47. > :12:50.site, and we'll hear your comments later in the programme.
:12:50. > :12:52.Away from the controversial issue of a new Thames Estuary airport,
:12:52. > :12:57.two major infrastructure projects for the South East have been
:12:57. > :13:00.announced today. George Osborne said that work will start on a new
:13:00. > :13:03.Thames crossing which could link Kent and Essex at Dartford, or
:13:03. > :13:06.Swanscombe or Gravesend. And the Government has also approved a �400
:13:06. > :13:11.million pscheme to build a second ferry terminal at Dover, which
:13:11. > :13:21.could double the port's capacity. Peter Whittlesea joins us live in
:13:21. > :13:29.Dover. Peter, what stage are the plans at now? The next stage is the
:13:29. > :13:34.designs of what they will build. Dover has spent �2 million to get
:13:34. > :13:44.to the stage. They say, by giving the go-ahead for a second terminal,
:13:44. > :13:52.
:13:52. > :13:57.it has saved guarded Dover's future That is why Dover's four-berth
:13:57. > :14:01.terminal was approved. What it means is that we have now got some
:14:01. > :14:07.certainty over how we might develop support in the long run. It is
:14:07. > :14:11.building infrastructure in the UK. It takes a long time. Having
:14:11. > :14:16.received a planning permission now it gives us that certainty. We know
:14:16. > :14:20.where we will be going forward and we can plan accordingly. Critics
:14:20. > :14:25.say these plans will be on hold for decades because a second term will
:14:25. > :14:30.is not needed. This has been a planning application that has been
:14:30. > :14:36.in the mill for years. Finally it has come out and we have a decision.
:14:36. > :14:40.I think it is a welcome thing up but there is still a long way to go.
:14:40. > :14:46.So the likelihood of it happening any time since it -- any time soon
:14:46. > :14:53.is nil. Most studies predict that the present Tamil one is likely to
:14:53. > :14:59.be adequate but least until the end of 2020.
:14:59. > :15:03.Others hope that the Government's plan will become a reality soon --
:15:03. > :15:08.as soon as possible to cut congestion. But many believe this
:15:08. > :15:15.project will not be straightforward. If the project goes into my
:15:15. > :15:18.constituency, goes into the World Heritage Sites, it goes straight
:15:18. > :15:23.past her in areas and will absolutely blight the property
:15:23. > :15:29.values of people who have worked hard all their lives. It also cuts
:15:29. > :15:33.straight through my running writ, so I am definitely against this one.
:15:33. > :15:40.-- looked. The big question is where is the money coming from.
:15:40. > :15:46.Insiders have told May that Dover Harbour us are in but her flimflam.
:15:46. > :15:50.That they have no hope of raising of the money because traffic across
:15:50. > :15:53.the Channel is down. Three men have been arrested in
:15:53. > :16:00.Rochester following the seizure of cocaine with an estimated street
:16:00. > :16:04.value of �50 million. 150 kilos of the placid at -- class A drug was
:16:04. > :16:08.found by the Met Police. The family of a man from Kent who
:16:08. > :16:12.has been missing for more than a week say they are deeply worried.
:16:12. > :16:17.He left home last Sunday without keys or money. He has not been seen
:16:17. > :16:20.since. A one of the biggest national
:16:20. > :16:25.strikes in national memory is due to get underway in a few hours'
:16:25. > :16:30.time. Ports and airports, schools and hospitals will be affected as
:16:30. > :16:36.thousands of people take industrial action. The marches and piccolos
:16:36. > :16:38.will be visible in our cities. -- picket lines.
:16:38. > :16:43.What is expected to happen tomorrow?
:16:43. > :16:49.It depends on your point of view. It could be seen as a massive
:16:49. > :16:53.celebration of people power, at 10,000 people expected here. Or you
:16:53. > :16:59.could see it as a massive case of disruption, at that is certainly
:16:59. > :17:03.the Government's position. They say this is a cynical strike, taking
:17:03. > :17:06.place whilst negotiations are ongoing. In a moment who will look
:17:06. > :17:11.at what this -- how this will affect you, but first we were hear
:17:12. > :17:17.from three people taking part. will mean paying any more, at the
:17:17. > :17:24.equivalent of a day's pay each month, I will have to work longer,
:17:24. > :17:31.so instead of retiring at 60 I will have to retire at 67 and it will
:17:31. > :17:38.also mean that at the end of it I get over �1,000 less a year. For me,
:17:38. > :17:43.as a young teacher, at the end of a school week I am exhausted. It is a
:17:43. > :17:49.tiring and demanding job. Imagine doing those things at the age of 68
:17:49. > :17:54.is very difficult to imagine. We also want to send the message that
:17:54. > :17:59.we are not just doing this for an own benefit, we are thinking about
:17:59. > :18:06.the education in the long term, the future of our children. It is going
:18:06. > :18:12.to work out another �500 a year for me to pay out. For me and my family,
:18:12. > :18:19.we are already living on not a lot of money. That extra 500 will mean
:18:19. > :18:24.a lot to me. It will mean less treats like taking the children
:18:24. > :18:28.away for a day. We have to stand up and be counted because at the end
:18:28. > :18:33.of the day it is your pension and to you have to make them see that
:18:33. > :18:38.they cannot do this to us. So three public sector workers there
:18:38. > :18:43.explaining why they believe in this strike. What will the destruction
:18:43. > :18:49.amount to? Schools, nearly all, all will be nearly closed or partially
:18:49. > :18:55.closed. Hospitals will be largely open, doctors will be working, most
:18:55. > :19:00.midwives and nurses will be working. Only those in unions striking. Out-
:19:00. > :19:05.patient clinics may be affected. Roads may be affected and Gatwick
:19:05. > :19:14.airport at say that they think it - - say that it may not be business
:19:14. > :19:22.as usual so check websites. The best way to keep up-to-date on
:19:22. > :19:30.the latest impact of the strikes is to log on it to the website below.
:19:30. > :19:35.It is approaching it 6:50pm. Our top story tonight is that plans for
:19:35. > :19:39.a Thames estuary Airport will now be seriously considered.
:19:39. > :19:43.Campaigners in Kent say they have fought off plans for at an airport
:19:43. > :19:49.before and they are prepared to fight again.
:19:49. > :19:53.Also in tonight's programme: Amy Winehouse and the �43,000 dress.
:19:53. > :19:58.How the star's legacy will help others.
:19:58. > :20:06.And it has been an increasingly wet and windy day today, but will the
:20:06. > :20:10.unsettled weather be lasting? Join me later to find out.
:20:10. > :20:15.She was the first British female artist to win five Grammy awards,
:20:15. > :20:19.but Amy Winehouse's career was tragically cut short when she died
:20:19. > :20:24.earlier this year after a long public battle with addiction.
:20:24. > :20:29.Her second album Back to Black is the UK's best set -- best-selling
:20:29. > :20:34.album of the 21st century. If to do the dress she wore on the cover
:20:34. > :20:38.sold for �43,000. Her father Mitch Winehouse says the charity -- says
:20:38. > :20:48.the money will go to the charity set up in his Dr's name.
:20:48. > :20:48.
:20:48. > :20:56.This is the �43,000 dress. # We always said goodbye in words.
:20:57. > :21:02.is the last album Amy Winehouse lived to see. She died tragically
:21:02. > :21:07.young, too young. But Amy Winehouse's voice resonates with an
:21:07. > :21:14.entire generation and money raised with the dress sale will go to her
:21:14. > :21:20.new foundation. It is an absolute tragedy that we are here but we are
:21:20. > :21:24.trying to make the best of it and for a new's dress to be sold along
:21:24. > :21:33.with that of Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana and Audrey Hepburn,
:21:33. > :21:42.it shows how much people loved Amy. # The tried to make me go to the
:21:42. > :21:46.have... Such was the controversy surrounding the Senate that in 2006
:21:47. > :21:52.hair stylist -- that when her stylist asked to lend it dresses
:21:52. > :21:57.for her album, designers backed off. But a young up and coming designer
:21:57. > :22:03.decided to go for it and this is the result. Back to Black went
:22:03. > :22:10.astronomical, another album up of previously unreleased material
:22:10. > :22:17.comes out on Monday. Amy's sound was so popular that she is credited
:22:17. > :22:24.with the injecting popularity into female musicians. -- reinject in.
:22:24. > :22:27.She had a unique voice and her own style. I do not think it was
:22:27. > :22:35.necessarily the excepted elegant look, but she was as noted for that
:22:35. > :22:45.as her music almost. The dress was bought by a museum. Now her style
:22:45. > :22:46.
:22:46. > :22:49.can be preserved just as her voice will be.
:22:49. > :22:52.Onto football, and Charlton increased their lead at the top of
:22:53. > :22:55.League One to seven points with a 2-0 win over rivals Huddersfield.
:22:56. > :22:58.The Addicks went in front midway through the first half thanks to
:22:59. > :23:02.Yann Kermogant and added a second before half time after good work
:23:02. > :23:12.from Bradley Wright Phillips set up Hogan Ephraim, up to the delight of
:23:12. > :23:14.
:23:14. > :23:24.Charlton's fans. We have travelled all the way from Broadstairs. And
:23:24. > :23:28.it is a win! It is fantastic. terrific goals. A great day.
:23:28. > :23:30.Absolutely brilliant. Brighton and Hove Albion could move
:23:30. > :23:33.back into the Championship promotion play off positions with
:23:33. > :23:35.victory at Derby tonight. The Albion will be hoping to build on
:23:35. > :23:44.Saturday's win over Coventry, although defender Marcus Painter
:23:44. > :23:54.has joined the long list of players currently missing through injury.
:23:54. > :23:56.
:23:56. > :24:02.You had to the trickier names It has been a blustery and wet day
:24:02. > :24:08.today. The wind will die down at but showers will linger. It will
:24:08. > :24:16.still feel breezy. It will be cooler in the afternoon. D-Day was
:24:16. > :24:23.mostly dry in the morning and then up cloud thickened. -- today. All
:24:23. > :24:26.of us of some rain at some point today. Al though it was mostly dry,
:24:26. > :24:32.though south-westerly -- south- westerly winds picked up to gale-
:24:33. > :24:37.force. There have -- it has been milder air so temperatures above
:24:37. > :24:42.average for the time of year. That rain slowly clears through this
:24:42. > :24:46.evening. We will see further showers spreading eastwards along
:24:46. > :24:51.the south coast. Inland, temperatures drop to around five
:24:51. > :24:55.degrees. We are still holding on to the south-westerly winds. That is
:24:55. > :24:59.how we start the day tomorrow. Showers lingered throughout the
:24:59. > :25:06.morning and a little bit brighter in the afternoon. We have more
:25:06. > :25:11.unsettled weather are waiting in the wins -- in the wings. Tomorrow
:25:11. > :25:18.afternoon will be slightly brighter. Temperatures will range between 11
:25:19. > :25:25.and 12 degrees. Try for a time but rain spreads East word. It will be
:25:25. > :25:31.windy as well. -- Easter Road. Thursday will be wet and windy.
:25:31. > :25:41.Temperatures not getting much above 11 or 12 degrees. Friday will be
:25:41. > :25:41.
:25:41. > :25:46.Let us get a recap of tonight's top story. Proposals to build a huge
:25:46. > :25:51.new airport will be seriously considered by the Government. The
:25:51. > :25:55.announcement that all options will be explored by ministers in order
:25:55. > :26:00.to ex -- in order to preserve the South East's status as an aviation
:26:00. > :26:06.hub. Our Business Correspondent is live
:26:06. > :26:12.in Kent. A new airport there is one plan but there are other options,
:26:12. > :26:16.are there not? Yes. A second runway at are at --
:26:16. > :26:21.at Gatwick or expansion at Stansted, but to the business community say
:26:21. > :26:25.that would not be enough. There are huge business communities abroad
:26:25. > :26:31.that are not served by direct flights to the UK but are served by
:26:31. > :26:37.direct flights to Europe, that is wide many say that a new airport is
:26:37. > :26:44.the only option. The debate will go on, and the story will not go away.
:26:44. > :26:52.We have been asking what you think about this. We have had lots of
:26:52. > :27:00.strong opinions. Thames says no to another airport, the beautiful
:27:00. > :27:04.reverse there are a delight. -- rivers. This one here says that
:27:04. > :27:10.she thinks the airport is a good idea. Where do the needs for the
:27:10. > :27:16.nation go, up birds or families? It costs a lot of money to keep people
:27:16. > :27:20.on welfare benefits and birds will migrate to other places.
:27:20. > :27:25.Dan from Dartford says he cannot believe the ridiculous notion of
:27:25. > :27:28.building a new airport, of why not use Manchester International?
:27:28. > :27:37.Increase the high-speed rail link to that location.