Representation by Philippa Toy
- Date submitted
- 10 September 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The prospect of this DCO for Manston Airport with RSP is very good news for Thanet, Kent and the UK indeed. At last there is a serious and cogent plan to develop the airport into a really modern state-of-the-art and progressive aviation facility. This is exactly what Thanet as an integral part of the UK economy needs to take it forward into the future, made all the more imperative with impending departure from the EU.
Thanet needs more than anything else business and economic activity to remedy the general socioeconomic decline and deprivation it has suffered for many years. A serious airport at Manston would be ideal to achieve this with a multitude of business and employment opportunities arising from it. It would also mean that Thanet would be a vital contributor to the economy of the UK as a whole – rather than a liability it is now.
As an airfield and an airport, Manston is ideal. It is situated on an outlying peninsular in the south east of England – separated yet also central. There is a stated shortage of runway capacity in the south east, and Thanet has Manston here ready and waiting to be re-commissioned back into service. There are very good direct connections to London, and the location itself is perfect in terms of geography and weather conditions. The weather alone is made for aviation – very often clear and calm, when other airports are suffering problems that way. It is also very near to the continent and beyond, which made it invaluable in wartime and would still be important today and into the future (bearing in mind future developments in sustainable aviation may not be able to focus so much on speed) for regular operation and as an emergency/relief airport.
For Thanet and the UK as a whole, it would be a great opportunity and asset wasted if the DCO was not to be granted for Manston Airport. One we as a country would live to severely regret.