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The following pages are excerpts from Thanet District Council's Local Plan Review, which is currently available (on request from 01843 577591) for public comments. If you wish to comment on the document you are required to do so by the end of March. The section about the airport is clearly the one which most concerns us, and the text relating to this is shown under the heading of Economic Development. Three options are presented for development of the airfield and we feel that
the following comments should be borne in mind : This is strange considering most studies have indicated that the use of Manston as a commercial airfield would not be economically viable. Why are the Council not setting out a contingency in the event that Manston
fails as a commercial airport ? The "middle option" does not appear to properly describe the Council's intent. The description of the second option is for an airport handling up to 10million passengers per annum. This would make Manston the fourth biggest airport in the UK and would make it bigger than Stansted. Why do the Council describe a regional airport as one handling up to 10million passengers, and is this environmentally feasible at Manston ? It would seem that the Council want to put a scenario into the local plan
which will allow the developer unlimited scope for expansion of aviation at
Manston, and that the broad description of "regional airport" will not preclude Manston from
becoming a major civil airport. We need to know more about this "Vision". Is it a dream that a Councillor has had or have they all had the same dream ? Or is this "Vision" something which the officers of the Council have dreamt ? Above all we need to know whether the "Vision" is feasible. It is all very well describing a land of milk and honey in the local plan, but it does not help anyone if it can never be attained. The two key elements needed in order to do this are an Economic Assessment and an Environmental Impact Assessment. Only when these are in place can this "Vision" be judged, and it is
only then that it should be allowed to form the basis of a local plan. Option 2 indicates that the Council are in negotiations with the developer to ensure that there is a proper balance. How can you achieve a proper balance if you only talk to one party ? The Council have not spoken to local residents to ascertain what they consider to be a proper balance. Indeed there are many people who do not want an airfield there at all. In what way do the Council take account of these views ? Is it not arrogant in the extreme for Councillors to consider that they are
capable of representing residents best interests without talking to residents
about their wishes ? |