Representation by John Ing
- Date submitted
- 2 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I believe the opening of a 24/7 cargo hub airport would have a devastating affect on the Isle of Thanet and beyond, which is in complete contrast to what may be perceived by many. I do not believe for a moment that the jobs forecast will materialise and the airport will kill off all the good that has been achieved by way of a revival in tourism to the area. Thanet District Council are considering a £50 million investment to upgrade Ramsgate Marina and create a marina village. This would attract real money into the area. Why would we even consider threatening all of positives with a huge negative, ie a 24/7 facility operating night flights? Day time operation would be bad enough, but night flights – NO. History has already taught us that the noise and air pollution from cargo planes is devastating and toxic. Boeing 747’s operated in and out of here under Infratil and it was very bad indeed. These are very noisy monsters, especially on take-off. I know this for a fact as they used to come up off of the airfield in a westerly direction and fly straight over my property in Acol at a very low altitude. The whole house used to shake and sleep patterns were thoroughly disrupted on a regular basis. My wife suffered particularly badly as a result and needed medication for a long time.
I’m afraid I cannot see anything positive about this proposal and my feelings are that a DCO should not be granted under any circumstances. Once the genie is out of the bottle it is very difficult to put it back!