Experts predict it could cost up to £2 billion to shift nature reserves to make way for London Mayor Boris Johnson’s proposed new airport in the Thames Estuary.
A report, which has been published by the Airports Commission, said it would take years to complete impact studies, but these were likely to show a new airport would have adverse effects on international nature conservation sites, including the Thames Estuary Marshes special protection area.
The Airports Commission has been tasked at finding the most ideal location for an additional runway in the southeast of England, and although it did not include a new airport in the Thames Estuary on a short-list published earlier this year, it said it would consider the proposal further.
Its latest report said: "An airport [in the Thames Estuary] would need to demonstrate that there are no feasible alternatives.
"A large area of compensation habitat creation would be required and this would be on a scale unprecedented for any single development in Europe."
Based on other projects, the estimated cost would be between £700, 000 and £100,000 per hectare, the study found. This would result in a cost of between £149m and £2bn.
Those in favour of a new airport in the Thames Estuary, as an alternative to expansion at Heathrow or Gatwick, say it will boost the economy by £7 billion a year.
