Representation by Grange Road Residents (Grange Road Residents)
- Date submitted
- 8 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I represent a group of residents in close proximity to the runway at Manston airport. We are within the Nethercourt Ward, the closest Ramsgate Ward to the airport and we range from new comers to the road, to residents that have been here for several years, and have had experience of the airport when it was in use.
Our houses are at the highest point in the town and the planes come into land directly over our properties, often adjusting their course to the runway, where the wind effects the course of the plane. Our houses are mainly Victorian and most without double glazing.
We have noted in the current proposal that we are not seen to be in the zone that will be blighted, despite being in direct line with the runway. We were not informed directly of the proposal, or the consultations and therefore there are still people along our street, which covers the area from the station down to near the West Cliff, that did not know about the prospect of a cargo hub in the area.
We note within the proposal that there is a quota for night time ATM's, which would have a great impact on our homes and our families, and yet we see both our MP [Redacted], and North Thanet's MP, [Redacted], publicly deny any night flights needed for a cargo hub.
East Midlands relies greatly on night flights, and we are aware that various cargo handlers like FedEx and UPS do not require the use of airports that limit night time flying. We are also aware that most cargo flights use chartered planes and would like to know more about the proposal for the allowance of night time movements and whether that allows a ban on night time flying, or if it allows a shoulder period? We would also like to know why planes, deemed too loud to land at other UK airports, such as QC4 planes would be allowed to fly at night here, when we are so close to the airport, and yet outside of the blight zone?
It is within our experience that the noise of pervious night time flying aircraft caused much distress to children, both in terms of the noise, but also in terms of the time of flying. We would also like more information on the potential health problems that come from the increased movements that would be directly over us. The particles in the fuel and the damage that can do to people's health. This was not made clear in the consultations, despite asking for that data. In fact I was told by one RSP colleague that we would not be effected at all.
We are duly concerned about the process of this application, the fact that much information was not allowed to us in the consultations, as well as the consultations being extremely badly publicised. Reading the resources available online in the current proposal, there seems to be a lot of information that was not available for residents to comment and ask questions on. Why is that?
We are taken aback at the ludicrous job figures proposed, having seen the airport employ few people in the area and less so now if the air traffic aspect will be done remotely. Again, that brings the issue of safety, planes come into land over our houses at the same height that Herring gulls fly at, and we have an abundance of them around here. With a Primary School at the end of our Road, this makes for an alarming problem should there be trouble with an aircraft landing in bad weather.
We fail to see, within the current proposal from RSP adequate awareness that Manston Airport is extremely close to our homes, or the contours of the land, that although we are not the nearest houses, we are the highest and therefore feel the effect of landing and taking off aircraft significantly. We would value being taken into consideration when RSP looks into the effects of aircraft and feel that the Planning Inspectorate be aware of the physical geography of Ramsgate before making any decision on how a cargo hub would effect the residents here.