THE contentious proposal to build a second runway at Stansted Airport, and its impact on villages in the Suffolk/Essex border is to debated at a special public meeting next week.

The meeting has been called to discuss the implications for the villages and, although it has been organised to mobilise action by those living in parishes in the northern part of Braintree Council, it is open to anyone that is affected.

Campaign group Stop Stansted Expansion will provide the main presentation on the runway proposals and will include advice on lodging objections before the public enquiry into the development, which is expected next year.

The group's campaign director, Carol Barbone, claimed: "The scale of expansion proposed for Stansted would make the airport bigger than Heathrow today in every sense – planes, passengers and land grab – and the impacts of its operations would be felt across the region.

"The district has already suffered a worsening of overflow in recent years, but an enlarged Stansted would put further pressures on the community and its infrastructure, particularly in terms of noise and visual intrusion.

"Individual and parish responses to the plans will be essential in overturning the threat they pose and advice will be given at the meeting on how to make responses to the application by the June 26 deadline."

The meeting at Sible Hedingham Village Hall, in Parkfields, will take place at 7.30pm for an 8pm start on Wednesday, May 21, and be chaired by Braintree councillor Jo Beavis.

Guest speaker will be another district councillor, Nigel Harley.

Although the meeting is open to all, particular invitations have been sent to parishes including Great Yeldham, Little Yeldham, Tilbury Juxta Clare, Ovington and Belchamp St Paul.

Anyone planning on attending is asked to e-mail Sible Hedingham Parish Council on clerk@siblehedingham.org.uk. or call 01787 462568.

n NATS, the UK's leading air traffic management company, has agreed to extend its consultation by four weeks so parish councils can consider its plans to create an aircraft holding stack over parts of West Suffolk and South Cambridgeshire.

Jonathan Astill, NATS' head of airspace management, said: "It is important everyone who has a view on the proposals has a chance to make those views known."