Representation by Mark Pepper
- Date submitted
- 26 September 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
As a local resident in the direct flight path of Manston Airport, the quality of life of myself and my family has significantly increased since the closure of the airport, particularly in relation to the noise generated by the aircraft. I own an Edwardian house which, at times, shook from the vibrations of planes taking off from and landing at the airport and my property is a reasonable distance from the airport itself - I would hate to think of the impact on those who live even closer.
Whilst I fully understand the need to generate job opportunities and revenue in the area, I do not believe that this option will benefit the majority of local residents.
Thanet is seen as a haven from the hustle and bustle of city life and has, particularly in the last five years, seen a significant increase in people relocating from London or purchasing holiday properties in the area. This has resulted in significant regeneration of an area that was experiencing significant levels of decay - lots of previously almost derelict properties have been brought back into use, the towns have seen a surge of small, boutique shops open where once there were boarded up premises and visitor numbers, even in winter have significantly increased. These are all classic signs of urban regeneration, something that Thanet has desperately needed for many years and people seem to care far more about where they live and take pride in it.
The introduction of a 24 hour cargo hub would shatter the peace and quiet of the area which attracts so many people. It will lead to an increase in pollution and HGV traffic 24 hours a day on roads that are not designed to cope with them. I also firmly believe that this will result in a drop in regeneration activity and will limit the attractiveness of the area to visitors - both day trippers and those looking to invest in holiday lets. The creation of a relatively small number of (much needed) jobs does not offset this, especially when you consider that most of the roles will require specialist skills which are unlikely to still be held by people in the area, therefore the jobs are more likely to go to people who will commute from outside of the district.
Additionally, the airport has never been successful as a passenger airport - it's position is too remote and is not attractive to people who live in north Kent/East Sussex/London where the distance to Gatwick is about the same but with cheaper fares and far more in the way of customer experience.
What Thanet needs is more infrastructure - more affordable housing, more GP surgeries, more schools, better roads. This could be achieved by creating a new 'town' on the airport site, with a sympathetic nod to the importance that the airport played in the past.