Representation by Christopher Gray
- Date submitted
- 2 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Manston is an essential asset to Thanet, Kent and the country as a whole. Both Heathrow and Gatwick are running at capacity and the new runway at Heathrow will take many years to build. An intelligent way of easing capacity at these airports is to bring Manston back into use as a cargo hub with the possibility of passenger flights once the airport is operating. Southend Airport is a good example of how this could be achieved.
Manston has good road links now and with permission having been provisionally granted for a "Parkway" station both freight and passengers could be brought to the airport without increasing road congestion.
Thanet needs jobs, which a successful airport at Manston would help create both at the airport itself and through other businesses servicing the airport and coming to the area to make use of the airport. Many businesses at the nearby Discovery Park at Sandwich moved there because 1) it was an enterprise area and 2) it was close to Manston airport.
It is time to stop talking and to act promptly into bringing Manston back into use as an airport as quickly as possible. The electorate showed their support for Manston by voting for a local council that had promised to re-open Manston as an airport and the new local plan supports this view.