UP-DATED MONDAY FEB 13.

There has long been a suspicion the government's U-turn that led to its decision to consult on the idea of a Thames Estuary airport was, in part, driven by the Treasury and the Chancellor. It was said they had been won round by the argument that such a project would deliver investment and jobs - along with regeneration - at a critical time.

But how was the Treasury won round? A clue perhaps lies in the meetings George Osborne and his officials had with the backers of the idea that were disclosed to us under the Freedom of Information Act.

Although we aren't being told what was on the table at these meetings as it is not deemed to be in the public interest.

Treasury meetings with Thames Estuary airport backers>>>

What we do glean from the details provided is that there seemed to be a sympathetic ear at the Treasury, where officials met representatives of Foster and Partners and the consultants Halcrow no less than four times to chew over the idea.

The rather gushing email sent by an unnamed representative of Foster following one meeting talks revealingly of how stimulating and reassuring the meeting was given that both sides believed passionately in the same points.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with any proponent of any scheme seeking contacts with politicians and their officials. You wouldn't expect anything less where a project as huge as this was concerned. Access is critical to getting the message across.

But if the government wants to be seen to be playing a straight bat over what is undeniably a massively contentious issue, it will have to better than come up  with the fig leaf of an excuse that it has to withhold information about what exactly was discussed at these meetings.

It is, frankly, an insult to say on that policy discussion needs to take place behind closed doors so  opinions can be expressed candidly. In its response, the Treasury says it acknowledges that there is a public interest in what is a 'live' issue - which in its way makes the case for full transparency and openness - not the case for running away and hiding.

It is interesting to speculate on whether,  had the Treasury been approached by, say, the leader of Medway council, for such a meeting, Mr Osborne or his officials would have proved quite as accommodating.

Either way, it is vital that the government's consultation starts from a position of neutrality.

There are arguments on both sides to be had but public confidence in the integrity of that consultation won't be enhanced if there is any suspicion that one side is getting greater opportunities to promote their views above the other.

Read the Treasury's full response to our FOI request here:

Treasury Meetings FOI.pdf (2.34 mb)

The transcript of the email sent by Foster and Partners to Treasury officials:

“It was a pleasure to meet with you this morning. We appreciate you making the trip over to our office and hopefully the experience of actually seeing us all busily working was useful. We found the conversation we had both stimulating and highly reassuring as you both made so many points that we both passionately believe in.”
“The brief presentation we did of some of our thinking and the initiatives we have been taking around infrastructure seemed to resonate with your interests and I am sure we could have spent a lot more time talking. We look forward to developing these conversations.”

Things are changing so rapidly in government that everyone was caught out by yesterday's announcement that the South East Plan had been scrapped.

The plan's objectives were sensible: to prmovide a long term direction to creating jobs, businesses and homes.

But it became tied up in reports, and inspectors, and hearings and rehearings, and things called core strategies.

Medway had hoped to get its part of the South East Plan through very quickly. But in Whitehall there were repeated changes to the ground rules, and in the midst of it were councils trying to work to one set of rules and inspectors working to others.

Medway's was the most fraught in the region.

The inspector was only interested in one aspect of the local plan - by then renamed the Local Development Framework. That was jobs - and the provision of land to meet the needs of businesses as communities and populations grew across the Medway Towns.

Eventually it was withdrawn at the last minute: the council faced it being rejected anyway.

Last night it was to be discussed at the regeneration scrutiny committee but it was withdrawn, to be rewritten again. It followed the morning's announcement that the over-arching plan - the South East Plan - had been scrapped by the government.

Now the team will sit down, without any clear guidance from MPs, Ministers or Mandarins, and try to come up with a set of rules that should earmark areas for development, areas for protection and other key issues.

The developers must be loving it. The chaos and lack of guidance is so enormous. If they don't get out the coach and horses to drive straight through Medway's plans I shall be astonished.

The Conservative administration must now be worried about the Medway Magna scheme to develop the Capstone Valley, and turn adjacent farmland into warehousing alongside the motorway.

They have been collecting numerous petitions against the plan which, until now has been on a fluttering back burner.

Meanwhile the planning team under Brian McCutcheon, facing cutbacks to save money, may have to be retained.

And the plan? Unlikely to be discussed before September.

***

Medway, sadly, has far too few things to inspire the community.

Why, even its many heroes - that cities across Britain would kill to claim - are ignored or completely forgotten.

If we can call Charles Dickens ours, we can surely claim Francis Drake: as a small boy he was brought here by his father. It was where he learned to sail.

Kitchener is ours. So, too, is his hero, Gordon of Khartoum.

Stephen Borough, the first great arctic explorer who set out to find the North East Passage to China in the 1550s, is ours: he's even buried here.

The next generation created William Adams, the man who opened up Japan, and developed the British ability to create great heroes from failing (he was supposed to discover the way to China going the opposite way to Borough)

The first RAF VC holder was Gillingham-born James McCudden...

The list of heroes truly is enormous.

If we ignore our present, our future is dim and dull. Our past should not be like that - but for many it is.