Representation by Tracey McEvoy
- Date submitted
- 8 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object wholeheartedly to the plans to revive Manston Airport as a cargo airport with c.12,000 aircraft movements per year above my house.
My husband and I live in Ramsgate because of the health benefits of living close to the seaside. The Civil Aviation Authority admit that aircraft engines emit pollutants including nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide which are specially hazardous for those who suffer from respiratory illnesses. I suffer from[Redacted]and my husband has [Redacted], therefore our health will be damaged if plans go ahead.
Residents living under a flight path suffer increased rates of cardiovascular disease (British Medical Journal 2013) and strokes. Research from the Aviation Environment Federation shows that living near an airport has is detrimental to mental health. Evidently when the airport was in operation it was noisy and the taste of fuel was often present. I am concerned that noisy aircraft above our house will lead to debilitating health, insomnia, anxiety, depression and severe loss of quality of life.
Thanet already has a significant population with problematic health and social issues. I understand several schools will have planes flying over them at low altitude. This will lead to greater toxicity in the air from particulants, lessons interrupted throughout the day, and night time sleep disturbance. The effect on young people, already hugely disadvantaged, will be devastating.
I am a business writer and need a quiet environment for concentration and communications with clients. My husband is an award-winning composer and producer and his work has created and will continue to create jobs for people in Thanet with specialist skills in the music industry. He participates in festivals and events designed to encourage tourism and support creative activity within the community.
We spend our income in local cafes, restaurants, hotels, and frequently employ the services of local tradespeople and businesses. We have given financial support (and our time as volunteers and mentors) to projects supporting young people, heritage activity and other community ventures. There are many people like us helping revitalise the area through improvements to property and taking an active role in our community. If the airport reopened, we would very likely leave the area, and if others did the same, there would be a definite economic and social impact.
Tourism is booming and helping to regenerate Thanet. Ramsgate has a unique heritage with a Royal Harbour, wartime history, blue flag beaches and a SSSI at Pegwell Bay. We were recently designated an Historic England Heritage Action Zone and have a high concentration of listed buildings with fascinating art and architectural significance. How many tourists would choose to stay in or visit an area blighted by noisy aircraft above its beaches and harbour?
The owners, Stonehill Park, have proposed a sensible plan satisfying the area’s Local Plan requirements. Manston has never been commercially successful as an airport and proposals by Riveroak (offshore company with no aviation experience) are entirely inappropriate for Thanet which has a successful and sustainable future ahead as a tourist destination.