Representation by Colin Heath
- Date submitted
- 8 September 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
There is much talk regarding the third runway at Heathrow, this has yet to reach the planning stage even before the objections are voiced. In the mean time Britain will be trading with the World after Brexit, this should include an increase in goods flown in as freight from countries other than those in Europe. Manston is ideally placed with an existing runway and infrastructure to start taking this extra load of trade. Removing this trade from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton and Southend will also allow an increase of passenger traffic without overloading the air traffic through these other terminals. This transfer of freight traffic will provide much needed employment to an area of high unemployment and social depravation. Allowing the Manston site to be used as housing without significant infrastructure investment such as schools, hospitals, water and sewage treatment, roads and dare I say retail outlets. But with such high unemployment housing will be only available to in-comers not the current population of Thanet. Once the airport is allowed to become established and facilities expanded there will be capacity for passenger flights again easing the load on Heathrow before the third runway is completed and the other London airports. There could be included a high speed rail link to London and Europe vis Ashford and Eurostar services. Additionally with such a long runway and in an area of low density population this would also be a facility for emergency landing in the case of mechanical failure or terrorist incident. While there will be objections to expanding any airport, in the case of Manston it is an existing facility not requiring the demolition of a village and other communities. It is already here with a runway that only requires refurbishment, there is a good road network for freight distribution, the M25 is only just over 60 minutes.