Representation by Kay Tomczak
- Date submitted
- 17 September 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a retired teacher who has lived and worked in Canterbury and East Kent for the past 40 years. During this time I have witnessed the many social and economic changes that have taken place and left this area as one of the most deprived in the South East. If RSP, a company with no track record of successfully developing and running airports and little financial credibility to undertake such a major restructuring, is allowed to proceed there may be even greater damage inflicted on this already struggling area. Much work has been carried out to regenerate the seaside towns which have already suffered from years of neglect and under investment. At last Margate and Ramsgate which have been most affected seem to be on the road to some kind of recovery. With the impending negative effects of higher air pollution, increased HGV traffic on local roads and above all the very real disruption caused by noise of aircraft landing and taking off less than 2 kilometres from the centre of Ramsgate, by day and night, there will undoubtedly be a detrimental change to the quality of life. Already local business owners are considering moving out of the area. People thinking of relocating into the area may reconsider and many residents will attempt to sell their houses and take their young children and older adults somewhere else. Thanet will again become a socially and economically deprived area.