The problem

Airport location decisions today involve increasing emphasis being placed on factors other than those directly related to air transport requirements. Qovernments are therefore becoming increasingly concerned in location decision making) as in the case of Maplin. Forecasts show that total air passenger demand in south-east England could be around go million in 1985. Qovernment policy is orientated towards constraints on existing airports and in certain cases closure is threatened. In this respect the need for Maplin is imperative. The master plan for Maplin must be flexible, given the size of the airport and the long time scale before its final capacity is reached. Master planning is being based on an ultimate annual capacity 0/125 million passengers. The overall strategy has to combine the initial years of the airport with the long-term future. Maplin being remote from its traffic generating areas will require new communications systems at the outset, necessitating heavy capital commitments in the near future. Other developments envisaged for the Maplin complex are a seaport and a commercial/industrial area. A major new town will be required to accommodate the influx of employees. The programme for Maplin is extremely demanding and involves contributions from a multitude of different sources. A high level of co-ordination and effort is essential to meet the Qovernments aim to have the airport opened in IQ8O.