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Representation by Rebecca Sales

Date submitted
7 October 2018
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses

I wish to strongly oppose a DCO for a 24/7 Cargo hub at the former Manston Airport Site. My reason and concerns are as follows:

  1. RSP's suitability
  • they have no proven track record in successful aviation operations at the scale which is being proposed for this hub.
  • They have provided no long term business plan, merely a set of aspirations which have been repeatedly shown as unviable by numerous independent reports.
  • They have failed to declare where their finances are coming from and give details of Investors despite being asked for this evidence on numerous occasions
  • they are an Offshore business front by someone with a history of failed aviation attempts
  1. Health and well being of Thanets residents (The proposal itself acknowledges local residents will suffer significant adverse effects)
  • The noise and air pollution of a 24 hour cargo hub will have massive impacts on the population's mental and physical health
  • Our children's learning will be severely interrupted - please bear in mind there are no less than 4 schools directly under the flight path, totalling approximately 2250 pupils. Planes will be flying over these schools with altitudes as low at 115m. Interruption to learning will not only come from noise during lessons but due to lack of concentration due to regular disturbed sleep. Our children's cognitive development is at risk if this plan is allowed to go ahead
  1. Viability and Need for such an operation
  • The Department of Transports projections for air cargo movement up to 2050, indicate that levels of movements will see no increase on the levels seen in 2016; indicating there is no need for further provisions. A cargo hub at Manston is not needed
  • A government study of potential airports on the South of England dismissed Manston considering it unviable.
  • RSP have not indicated how they will compete with existing freight hubs - this should be a vital part of their plan given that all business will be existing business at other hubs due to no increase in air freight movements. There is no new business to be acquired.
  • Manston is located an hour away from the M25, with the Thanet Way being the only route in and out - this is hardly ideal for logistics in moving cargo around the country, not to mention costly for the environment
  • RPS have shown no attempts to at examining other possible locations despite other locations (Mildenhall & Lakenheath) with better transport links and without 40'00 residents at the end of their runway, being available for purchase.
  • Manston has never been a commercially viable Airport. It has failed under 3 different owners totaling losses of £100m between 1999 & 2014
  1. Decimation of our tourism trade & employment opportunities
  • many of Thanets employment opportunities are with in the tourism trade. Indeed much of thants economy is built on the increasing tourist business we see in this beautiful area. With a 24/7 cargo hub, this trade will be non existent - who would want to come a spend their leisure time in a town where there is constant pollution and noise; a town where the the residents are adversely affected by said constant pollution.
  • The figures produced by RSP of potential employment caused by the Cargo hub are wildly speculative and tenuous. I would like to see more solid, evidence based plans on how the hub is going to increase much needed employment in our area - particularly given that it will be putting many jobs at risk in our tourism trade.