Representation by Guillermo Escofet Allen
- Date submitted
- 8 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
My wife and I form part of the big influx of artists, entrepreneurs and professionals who have moved to Ramsgate in recent years, injecting new life into one of the most deprived and forgotten corners of southeast England. In the 12 years we have been here, we have seen a huge transformation as restaurants, cafés, bars, galleries, shops and boutique hotels have sprung up, bringing in tourists, creating jobs and vastly improving the quality of life of the town.
Ramsgate was in the past an important seaside resort and it is recovering some of its former glory in this respect. It is also, together with Margate, becoming a hub of creativity and entrepreneurship. My wife, for example, is an award-winning jewellery designer and maker who has provided training and employment to young talented locals.
The area has one of the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, which had fallen into a sad state of neglect and disrepair, and are now being lovingly restored by many newcomers, including ourselves.
The proposed cargo hub, and accompanying night flights, risk killing Ramsgate’s rebirth and returning it to the blight into which it descended in recent decades. The noise pollution that the hub would create would stem the flow of talent into the area, drive away many of those who have put down roots here in recent years, and kill off the green shoots that are revitalising the local economy.
We would certainly seriously consider moving away, even though it would break our hearts to do so. We have two children who have grown up in this area, but their health and wellbeing is our priority.
The jobs that the airport might create would be small compensation for the huge cost of its environmental impact – a cost both economic and personal, as the quality of life of residents under the flight path becomes heavily disrupted.