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Representation by John Murdoch

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

I would make the following points in a personal capacity, but with the interests of my children (who are minors) very much at heart:

  1. The proposed minimum of 33 flights a day by heavy cargo aircraft passing directly over our house and our town would shatter the life we lead here. From our experience of the repetitive training flights by KLM, flying only relatively small empty passenger aircraft, we found the noise (despite secondary glazing) was ear-splitting: it made speech even inside our house inaudible, and normal family life very difficult.
  2. Our house is surrounded by elements of the Chatham and Clarendon school campus. The school is already attended by one of our children, and likely to be attended in due course by the other two. All students have a right to reasonable peace and quiet to enable their learning. It is wrong to threaten their learning environment.
  3. Our town Ramsgate, as a community, is recovering from decades of adverse economic and social trends exacerbated by poor planning policies and decisions, largely by virtue of its excellent amenities - its architectural beauty, its light and air, and its micro-climate. It would be wrong to set back or destroy this recovery by another planning decision, one based on highly questionable claims of over-riding 'need'.
  4. On the other hand, the need for housing, schools and other social provision is evident both nationally and locally. it is sensible to locate such development in places which have both areas of semi-derelict land available, and attractive existing amenities.