Manston Airport Consultative Committee (M.A.C.C)

• Minutes of Meeting held 3rd June 2004
• Notes on Meeting of Airport COMMUNITY FUND GROUP

Minutes of meeting held at 2.00pm on 3 June 2004 at Manston Village Hall

APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received from: Tony Freudmann (PlaneStation); Leigh Herington (KCC); John Fullarton (KCC); Dennis Hart (Ramsgate); Sam Hodgson (Acol); Bob Weaver (Cliffsend Residents -Vera Hovenden alternate).

The Chairman welcomed PJ McGoldrick and Mike Halper from EUjet

1 MINUTES The Minutes of the meeting held on 11th March 2004, having been previously circulated, were accepted and signed by the Chairman as a true record, subject to the following amendment: Item 3.2. line 6 " ...stockbrokers" be amended to read "bankers".

2 MATTERS ARISING

2.1 Item 5.3: Pollution Monitoring. Brian Lear agreed to provide new mandatory limits to the Secretary. ACTION BL

3 SITUATION REPORT -Planestation

3.1 Paul Tipple reported that as a considerable amount of infrastructure development was now taking place at the Airport it was appropriate that Alastair Robertson should in future up-date the Committee on progress.

3.2 At the previous meeting Tony Freudmann had announced changes that had taken place following the successful restructuring of the Wiggins Group, and that the Chief Executive, Oliver Iny, had been relieved of his duties on ath March. Mr Tipple reported that, shortly thereafter, the Group had appointed Martin Mayas interim Chief Executive, and that Mr May had since signed a 2-year contract with the PlaneStation Group. On 14 May the PlaneStation Group had announced that Geoff Lansbury , Group Property Director and Chief Executive of the Airport, had been given notice to quit by the Executive Board, to take effect from 4th May 2005, until which time he was on "gardening leave".

3.3 Mr Tipple said that under Martin May's leadership the thrust of PlaneStation's efforts was in strategic terms now directed to creating value for shareholders and, as a property company with substantial airport assets, to creating value and revenue through an effective and focused management team. As part of efforts to drive down costs a number of efficiency measures were being introduced and sadly there had been redundancies at Head Office, reducing overheads by some 42.5%. This refocusing did not affect the Group's commitment to the Airport, and as reflected in the recent sizeable investment in infrastructure and the important investment in EUjet, PlaneStation was determined that the Airport should become a successful regional airport serving the needs of the southeast. Mr Tipple further reported that the Group had bought out the interest in Manston Business Park previously held by MEPC, leaving the Group free to pursue development and exercise options for expansion of the Business Park.

3.4 There was thus a high priority on developing the business of the Airport, most notably reflected in the agreement reached between PlaneStation and EUjet, and the Stock Exchange announcement of 3rd June that stated that in addition to its £2.5m investment in EUjet, PlaneStation was committing to significant investment in facilities and equipment at Kent International Airport in advance of the start of passenger services on 1st September 2004.

3.5 Business Development -EUjet

3.5.1 PJ McGoldrick of EUjet said that passenger flights would commence on 15! September 2004, and by the end of the year, 21 destinations would be served. Mr McGoldrick said that a project of such a size was a big risk, but was the only way to put the airport on the map. It was important to generate awareness of the airport.

3.5.2 Mr McGoldrick was confident that EUjet would survive as it, and Manston, had something to offer to the marketplace. In addition to offering a low-cost operation with good customer care, the combined operation would be serving a market that he passionately believed needed to be served. The 1.5m local catchment currently had the choice of driving to Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted, or going to London via a very slow, outdated rail link. Added to that, the Airport parking charges would be as low as £20 per week.

3.5.3 EUjet had been operating for two years, with four aircraft and a very experienced management team. Two additional aircraft would be added to the fleet of Fokker 100s by the end of 2004. An advertising campaign would start on 14th June. Mr McGoldrick hoped that these modern, quiet 108 seater aircraft would be acceptable to the majority of local residents.

3.5.4 If a regular service on main business and holiday routes was offered, and done well, at a similar price to, say, EasyJet from Gatwick, hundreds of local jobs would be created. E Ujet itself would be employing 150 at Manston, Kent International Airport an additional 100.

3.5.5 Finally, Mr McGoldrick hoped that the operation would prove to be one with which people would be proud to be associated.

3.5.6 Nigel Whitbum said the quality of staff would be important and asked whether there were people of the right calibre available locally. Mr McGoldrick said that in addition to existing trained staff, others were being trained, and the local college operated relevant courses. A number of EUjet staff, although resident in Kent, were currently based in hotels in Italy. They would be returning home.

3.5.7 In answer to questions from the Chairman and Vera Hovenden, Mr McGoldrick said flights would initially operate to and from Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Manchester three times a day. The sooner in advance tickets were booked, the cheaper the price would be.

3.5.8 Gerry Glover referred to an interview on Radio Kent earlier in the week in which Mr McGoldrick had said his company planned fuel requirements six months in advance. One of the advantages of the partnership was that 50% of the fuel would be provided by KIA.

 3.5.9 Ron Flaherty drew attention to the 20,000 student population in Canterbury, many of whom were from overseas, as a potential market.

3.5.10 The Chairman thanked Mr McGoldrick for an interesting report on what was clearly a serious operation, and wished him success.

3.5.11 Nigel Whitburn enquired about progress on flights to Florida, and wondered whether operators might be put off from using Manston if they thought EUjet would get priority. Alastair Robertson confirmed that discussions with various airlines to establish a link between Manston and Melbourne in Florida were ongoing, with a view to becoming operational by the end of the year. Talks were also in hand with other scheduled airline operators with a range of different destinations.

3.6 Development of Infrastructure; Alastair Robertson explained that major improvements had been necessary to the Passenger Terminal to cater for the passenger services. The concourse had been enlarged; a new automatic hold- baggage X-ray system installed; bagging handling equipment upgraded; and a development for 2,000 car parking spaces commenced on a recently purchased .adjacent field. It was hoped that 700 of these spaces would be available by 1st September, increasing to 1,000 in October.

3.6.1 109 new jobs had been created in such areas as fire service, security, check-in, baggage handling, and accounts. Mr Robertson said most of these staff had been identified from some 4,000 c.v.'s held on file. Numbers would increase as operations extended, to an expected figure of 150 additional staff by the end of the year.

3.6.2 Boundary security fencing was expected to be completed by end June.

3.6.3 Internal security had been enhanced by the addition of a cctv system comprising 40 on site cameras.

3.6.4 The Border Inspection post, designed to permit the import of fresh fish and meat products from outside the EU, was on target to become operational, subject to relevant approval, by July 2004.

3.6.5 Several members raised questions concerning road access to the airport. Concern was expressed, particularly by Peter Ditton (Manston PC) that the proposal to close part of Manston Road would lead to other smaller roads being used by motorists wishing to avoid traffic congestion at Westwood Cross.

3.6.5.1 Paul Tipple stated that Babtie had completed a formal transport assessment, copies of which would be circulated. This showed that passenger traffic could grow to sizeable levels before serious improvements were needed up to the Prospect roundabout. Mr Tipple agreed that it was the section of road in between that needed to be addressed. A suggestion would be put forward to the Highways Authorities and to TDC that the option of closure of Manston Road should be pursued, from the Spitfire Museum through to a point just to the east of the Passenger Terminal, to all but airport traffic, buses, cyclists and pedestrians. Also under active consideration was a change in priority at the road junction next to the Spitfire Museum.

3.6.5.2 Both the Chairman and Vera Hovenden were concerned that congestion at the Lord of the Manor would be exacerbated by the closure of part of the 82050, which was used as a diversion by motorists travelling to London wishing to avoid Pfizer traffic.

3.6.5.3 Ron Flaherty pointed out that Kent County Council were responsible for the A299 approach, which CCC found totally inadequate. Cllr Flaherty said that on turning off the Thanet Way at Birchington the amount of litter gave the impression of a Third World Country approach. Cllr Flaherty urged TDC to press KCC to improve matters. The Chairman suggested that as KCC were financially involved in the EUjet project, it should not be difficult to press for action

3.6.5.4 The Chairman asked how it could be ensured that the concerns expressed at the meeting could be taken into consideration. Paul Tipple said that the imminent Babtie report covered all approaches to the area. This report would be put before MACC for discussion. Brian White said that TDC worked with the airport operator to establish a close link between the development of the airport infrastructure in terms of planning applications and improvements to the road network, to ensure smooth transition. Mr White said TDC would be quite prepared to share the position with MACC.

3.7 Re-negotiation of 5106 Agreement: TDC had agreed the timetable for the revised Section 106 Agreement, which was for them to approve a draft document for public consultation n Late August 2004, followed by a minimum six week period of public consultation. The draft document would be made publicly available, circulated to all members of MACC, adjoining district councils, and other interested bodies. The revised document, following the consultation review, was to be presented to Council for formal adoption in either October or December 2004. The later date was to allow for longer review and editing if some interesting or challenging issues flowed from the consultation process.

4 Environmental Impact Assessment

4.1 Paul Tipple said the two key areas of the Environmental Statement that required review concerned surface access and aircraft noise. To that end the Airport had commissioned a formal Transport Assessment from Babtie and a Noise Management Strategy. More recently, a report by Manchester Airport and Bickerdike Allen (to be circulated) based on noise monitor readings over the three-year period to September 2003, demonstrated clearly that the noise contours for the Airport had shrunk. The 54dB contour, which had previously extended out over Ramsgate Marina, had shrunk back to the site of the railway station, and the 63dB contour had fallen back to exclude much of the Cliffsend estate to the north of the Canterbury Road West. The main reasons for the reduction in noise were the efforts made by Alastair Robertson and his team, working closely with airline operators, to improve noise management and of course the effects of the transition from Chapter 2 to Chapter 3 aircraft. Mr Tipple assured the Committee that notwithstanding this welcome improvement all agreed noise insulation grants would be honoured.

4.2 In response to John Garland, Mr Tipple confirmed that the Babtie Transport Assessment did address all forms of transport accessing the Airport including the delivery of fuel. Alastair Robertson added that the method of delivering fuel to Manston was under serious consideration, with particular regard to any increase in the volume of fuel tankers.

5 AIRPORT STATISTICS -tabled

The Chairman apologised for the fact that papers had not been available in advance due to the meeting being held early in the month. Alastair Robertson agreed to the Chairman's suggestion that statistics for a two month period be produced for the meeting to be held on 6th September (to which public were invited as observers). Mr Robertson suggested that as from 2005, meeting dates be fixed for later in the relevant month, and also proposed rescheduling of statistics in line with the calendar year (i.e. Jan-March; April-June; July-September; Oct-December). AGREED

Alastair Robertson summarised as follows

5.1 Complaints: In response to a request at the previous meeting, Complaints by Location now showed the number of individual complainants. The number of forms and complaints showed an increase over the same period in the previous year There had been 14 more complaint forms submitted, with 241 more complaints. However, the total number of complainants had reduced from 27 to 24. Five individuals generated 21 9 of the 257 forms.

5.1.1 Of the Top Ten, training flights on 13th May had generated the highest number of complaints, mostly from Ramsgate. Mr Robertson said training flights were carefully monitored. They were necessary not only for financial reasons, but also to keep crews current and for training air traffic controllers, thereby enhancing safety

5.1.1.1 In response to Cllr Bob Bayford on the increased number of complaints about pollution, Alastair Robertson said figures provided by TDC on air monitoring showed no evidence of increased pollution levels.

5.2 Departures SummarylRunway Utilisation: The 70%130% target had almost been met, an improvement over the same period during the previous year

5.3 Section 106 Compliancy Report: Movements between 2300-0700: Of the 14 such flights, one had been by heavy aircraft, the remainder HM Coastguard. The commercial flight had attracted a fine of £1 ,000

6 SECTION 106 COMPLIANCY

6.1 Noise Monitoring

6.1.1 Paul Tipple referred to the increase in departure noise levels recorded during April at Clarendon School. This had been due to the operation of two RAF jets and an lIyushin 76 aircraft.

6.1.2 The Chairman asked how the numerous EUjet flights would affect average noise levels. Did more aircraft increase the average, or did quieter aircraft bring the average level down? Cllr John Bragg said the problem with using averages was that an increased number of quieter aircraft lowered the noise level. Mr Tipple agreed with the      Chairman that only future readings could provide an accurate answer.

6.2 Noise Insulation update

6.2.1 Paul Tipple reported that some Cliffsend residents whose homes were already fitted with secondary-glazing and who were seeking acoustic loft insulation had found the quoted cost too high. Revised quotes were being sought.

6.3 Pollution Monitoring

6.3.1 Paul Martin reported that readings from the monitors around the airport were well below Government requirements. Should traffic routes change, re-positioning of monitors would be considered.

7. AIRPORT COMMUNITY FUND

8.1 During 2003 the Fund had paid over £8,000 in small grants (up to £500) to a wide variety of local projects. Grants totalling £5, 700 had been made in the current year.

8.2 £17,000 had recently been received into the Fund relating to some of the night flights to Iraq. Current balance was just over £19,000.

8.3 The Secretary reported good local press publicity.

8.4 The Chairman asked members of the Fund Group to remain behind for a short meeting at the end of the proceedings, the results of which would be circulated to all members.

9 ANY OTHER BUSINESS

9.1 Members endorsed the Chairman's thanks to Brian Lear, who was shortly to retire from Thanet District Council, for his efforts for the Committee.

10 DATE of NEXT MEETING

Monday 6th September 2004 at Broadstairs Pavilion 7pm

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 4pm

PRESENT: Sir Alistair Hunter, John Garland, Paul Tipple, Robin Tapsell, Ron Flaherty.

1. With the prospect of a further quite sizeable injection of funds, over and above the £17,000 so far received as a result of the imposition of fines for night flights to Iraq, the Group considered ways in which the fund might be better focused to maximise its impact, especially for those communities most in need of support, and to help lever additional funding from other external sources in order to help sustain the activity over a longer timeframe.

2. The Group was aware of the demands for access to minibuses, especially from sports/youth clubs who relied on voluntary donations, and agreed that directing some of the Community Fund to promote improved access to sporting fixtures across the area could help considerably in supporting the youth of the area.

3. There were however other sources of public funding that might be available to help, and it was important that the MACC Community Fund be assured that its efforts were seen complementing and not substituting for existing public funding streams.

4. It was agreed to ask Members for ideas on sustainable community development projects, for consideration for the September 6th public meeting. Also to try to identify other public sources of funding and the projects attracting support. In the interim it was agreed to continue to respond to applications for grants of up to £500 from the £17,000 currently in the Fund.

MACC INDEX

KIACC INDEX