Green mayoral candidate Sian Berry today welcomed the news that City Airport has been sold to a Canadian consortium.
She said she looked forward to meeting the new owners and persuading them of the strong business case to close the airport and redevelop it for homes and businesses.
She was reacting to news that the airport has been sold for £2bn to a consortium led by the Ontario Teachers’ pension fund and HS1 investor Borealis.
“I believe City Airport is holding back London’s economic potential, undermining the existing enterprise zone in Newham, and causing untold health and environmental problems to thousands of local residents,” she said today.
“I have shown that if this prime piece of the land were used sustainably for innovative businesses, residential areas, leisure, cultural facilities and shops, it could create at least 16,000 more jobs and add an additional £400 million to the UK’s economy.
“As Mayor, I will be seeking a meeting at the earliest opportunity with the new owners to convince them of the sound financial arguments for redevelopment – as well as the robust moral case. I hope they will see that closing the airport would be the smartest thing for their bottom line as well as the right thing to do.”
More than 14,000 people have already signed a petition calling on a previous favoured bidder, the German-based insurance giant Allianz, to heed the compelling business case to change the use of the site.
The petition was launched a month ago when Sian Berry announced her proposal to close City Airport.
Petition organiser Rachel Collinson, the Green candidate for the City and East constituency of the London Assembly and the party’s spokesperson on business, innovation and skills, today vowed to start fresh petitions on both sides of the Atlantic to the new owners.