Representation by Grahame George Birchall
- Date submitted
- 7 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Not for the first time has the uniquely beautiful and historic community of Ramsgate, faced an existential threat from without. In both World Wars, Ramsgate made sacrifices in defending the nation. However, in spite of its impressive defensive network of subterranean tunnels, there is nowhere, this time around, for the townsfolk to hide. They face a future of continuous noise and air pollution, unleashed by an opportunistic, offshore company, leading to loss of personal and communal wealth, prolonged ill health and ultimately shortened life spans. Apparently, this unprecedented sacrifice of a whole townsfolk, is justified as being in the nation’s interests!
For decades, the economic recovery of Ramsgate, has been blighted by the ‘political football’ on its doorstep, known as Manston airport, presided over by unscrupulous, often corrupt local political leadership. In recent years, Thanet District Council, known colloquially as “the council that fell off the back of a lorry”, has spawned no less than two Council Leaders who have been jailed for their crimes, alongside an MP for South Thanet, also jailed for perjury. The good people of Thanet have been lied to, cruelly deceived and badly represented on many occasions. Consequently, several prominent, potentially wealth creating local assets, have been ruined by appalling council management and corrupt behaviour.
So it is, with Manston. Voters have been cynically manipulated to win elections, culminating in 2015, with the only ‘UKIP run’ council in the country. Desperate to substantiate election promises, politicians have distorted the Local Plan to keep airport land prices artificially low, and unwisely given support and respectability to this latest step in the saga, a DCO application, submitted by a dubious organisation, which is heavily dependent on [Redacted], [Redacted] with a record failed aviation activities, once of which, is Manston itself ! Notably, he continues to lie brazenly about his personal involvement in its commercial failure.
Apart from the obvious historic fact, that Manston is not viable commercially, the Planning Inspector should also be alarmed by the apparent lack of local opposition. The reason for this is residents have been lied to, and/or deceived, yet again, by RSP directors, their two MPs and self serving local political parties. Consequently, the vast majority of long term residents believe that, if Manston re-opens, the airport will operate “as before” ie. 6 or 8 air movements per day, not as planned by RSP, 6 or more movements per hour, for 15 hours a day! This critical falsehood has been carefully created and fostered, even at ‘so called’ public consultations. Moreover, MPs are on record, as having ‘suggested’ there will be no night flights.
It is high time the ‘Manston Airport farce’ is ended. Thanet deserves better. The current owners, SHP, have put forward exciting alternative uses for this land which, interestingly, also includes light and heritage aviation, far more conducive with the components of Thanet’s real future economic revival; tourism, leisure and the continued influx of high tech companies, looking for attractive healthy places to live and work.