Representation by Charlotte Wilson
- Date submitted
- 8 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
As a resident of Thanet for many years, I have experienced life here both with and without an airport. I have many concerns regarding the reopening of the airport on a number of different fronts including the impact on the health both of individuals and the environment, on the viability of the economic case for an airport within the Government's own strategy for transport and on the impact it will have on the local area in terms of increased traffic and reduced tourism.
On a personal level, since the closure of the airport I have been much less concerned about the health of my children as the exhaust fumes from the planes directly overhead have been proven to be harmful to health. I am extremely concerned that the reopening of the airport and the subsequent increase in the volume of flights would have an impact not only on my children's health but also on the health of all children who live and are educated under the flight path. Currently three schools are identified as being directly under the flight path. Surely the increased noise will have an impact on their ability to hear and the increased particulates and NO2 emissions have already been shown to be harmful in other areas.
Secondly, the current site in Manston is 600 acres of brownfield site, ideal for development. Using this as an air freight hub simply does not make economic sense. The economic case for job creation appears to be flawed, or at least inconsistent and experts are arguing over whether an air frieght hub can ever be economically viable, let alone at what cost. Using this area as a site for housing and mixed use development makes much, much more sense. Given that every local district is expected to produce a set allocation of housing, where better to situate this than in Manston?
Lastly, Ramsgate is slowly growing its reputation as a desirable tourist destination with beautiful sandy beaches, interesting cafes, shops and galleries and a quick reliable method of arrival via the A2 or the train. As I understand it, the necessary increase to the amount of traffic in order to make the airport economically viable will mean that the amount of large lorries on the roads will increase, negatively impacting the road quality, the speed of the journey and the perception of Ramsgate as a desirable destination. This perception will be further destroyed as tourists become aware of the extraordinary noise of the aircraft passing overhead, day and night. This is not somewhere I would want to go on holiday and I would expect repeat visits to significantly fall as people review the town online.