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Representation by Jennifer Cunningham

Date submitted
2 October 2018
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses

I love Ramsgate because

  1. The town has approximately 40,000 people, it is large enough to have privacy, but small enough to bump into people you know, and small enough that you have the same postman every day.
  2. The Royal Harbour is absolutely beautiful, the only one in the country.
  3. It is one of the sunniest and hottest places in the country, with its southern facing beach.
  4. It is on the fast train line to London where my partner works.
  5. It is by the sea.
  6. The housing stock meant that we could buy a house, something out of our reach in London.
  7. My parents have retired here, and my siblings have also moved here from London.
  8. It’s bustling all year round unlike most seaside towns, thanks to the harbour.
  9. It’s close to Canterbury and trendy Margate.
  10. It’s a perfect balance between urban and countryside with the beach thrown in.

Things I will hate about Ramsgate if Manston Airport re-opens, particularly as a cargo hub.

  1. I am directly below the flight path, which will mean that my family and I will not be able to open our windows at night to muffle out the noise of the night flights, this is one of the hottest parts of the country.
  2. My children’s education will suffer from noise interruption not only at night, but also at school as their school is under the flight path too.
  3. My family and I will suffer from pollution and all health effects from this.
  4. The tourist industry will be wiped out. Ramsgate is regenerating and this will drive all the new people out, they are opening restaurants and shops in the town.
  5. The local wildlife will suffer.
  6. Manston will never be a financial success due to its location and Ramsgate will be put back another decade when it fails again.
  7. The UK does not require a further cargo hub, particularly in this geographical location. The local road network will not be able to cope with the traffic. The airport does not have a fuel pipeline, the fire service is not set up for it.
  8. Manston should be allocated for housing, which is badly needed. The airport will not create many jobs as a cargo hub, and will overwhelmingly cause more bad than good in every respect if it gets the go ahead. House prices will drop and so will the living standards of an already deprived part of Kent.
  9. The business case just does not stack up. Please look closely at the figures and do the right thing. They do not have the funds to support this. The airport has changed hands 3 times since 1998, this being the 4th attempt. Ramsgate and its people deserve a chance at a real bright future, please look at this application with logic, it just will not work.