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Representation by Samantha Smith

Date submitted
10 September 2018
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses

Having read various studies regarding Airports and Health I am very concerned about a Cargo Hub being proposed on the old Manston Airfield.

  1. My greatest concerns are regarding my child’s health and education. A 2005 study published in The Lancet, found that children living near airports in Britain, Holland, and Spain lagged behind their classmates in reading by two months for every five-decibel increase above average noise levels in their surroundings. The study also associated aircraft noise with lowered reading comprehension, even after socio-economic differences were considered. Children living under flights paths have been shown to have deficits in long-term memory and reading comprehension. Exposure to aircraft noise can lead to short-term responses such as sleep disturbance, annoyance, and impairment of learning in children, and long term exposure is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, dementia, and may contribute to long-term mental health issues. Increasing attention is now being focused on the effects of noise on children's education, as well as cardiovascular disease induced by aircraft noise. The impact is particularly pronounced with night noise from aircraft . For myself I work in a very fast paced environment and lack of sleep will certainly affect my ability to do continue to do so.
  2. I moved to the area after living on the Nethercourt Estate in Ramsgate with my parents for over 12 years after getting married decided it was an area that was ideal to move back to with my son as it is quiet and near to protected nature reserves, various Heritage Buildings and a beautiful harbour which attracting more tourists to the area since the planes stopped flying. 3. Without a doubt my property will lose value if I have aircraft flying day and night – when I moved back to the estate it was very difficult to purchase a property as very few came on the market and when they did they were sold very quickly. Since the DCO has been submitted I notice that there are quite a few more properties for sale and remain on the market for a long time.
  3. My property is less than 1.5km from the runway and after reading the documents in particular document TR020002-002454-7.2 I note that the expection is that PSZs will not be needed at Manston in line with previous arrangements, yet the previous arrangements was a lot lower number of atms and surely the 1 in 10,000 risk contour would include a number of residential streets. In another document I note that they state that the do not propose to CAP movements. I strongly feel that it is inadequate for residents to have to endure this day and night at all let alone without a PSZ in place. RSP do not appear to have any regard to the Health. Safety and Welfare of any of the residents.