THE release last week by Public Services of an emergency Billet d’Etat for debate this month requesting more compulsory acquisition of land for the airport project has surprised many.

In particular, the left field nature of the demand – PSD had given no earlier hint that further force might be needed against landowners – and the threat that failure by the States to agree might cost more than £2m. has caused concern.

The department knows it is exposed in this area which is why, in the Billet report, it coyly justifies its non-disclosure by saying that it would have been premature before the States had decided which runway refurbishment option it was going for.

As an explanation, however, it really does not wash. A more likely reason is pure politics: coming on top of the coerced acquisition of the Le Messurier family field and the permanent closure of La Mare Road, the prospect of more Big Brother tactics would not have endeared itself to the Assembly.

The notion, too, that this project has gone so far down the line that to delay in any manner would be hugely expensive and entail renegotiating with the preferred tenderer is also unsettling.

Now that the need for two further forced purchases has been disclosed, PSD has at least come clean and admitted that there could be still more over access rights.

Whatever the reasons behind it, this degree of economy with the facts is unhelpful and fosters the impression that PSD – having had a bloody nose over waste – is determined to get the airport project through by stealth, by getting government’s head further into a financial noose.

The reality, of course, is that the airport rehabilitation project has to go ahead and States members have to agree to whatever is necessary to keep the lifeline facility open.

The undertaking is already to the wire and any delay by Environment in approving the planning application could also cost in excess of £2m. if the tender deadline is missed, surely also an unhappy degree of pressure on the planners.

So while most islanders accept the need for these latest demands from PSD, they really do object to the department’s pistol to the head approach to politics.