THE South East England Regional Assembly has rejected further expansion of runway capacity at Heathrow and declared its opposition to the Cliffe plan.

Chief executive of the South East England Regional Assembly Paul Bevan said: "The assembly recognises the competitive advantages that the London airports bring to our region.

"We want to see our airports developed in a way that minimises the environmental costs while reaping these economic and social benefits.

"We believe there is real scope for airport development to support the success of other regions.

"And while Heathrow and Gatwick continue to grow within current capacity limits, we believe Stansted is the best option for investment to provide for further capacity for London."

The assembly met at Gatwick to agree its response to Government consultation on the development of air transport in the South East. The Cliffe airport option is rejected as it has major environmental and transport impacts.