Representation by Jasper Sharp
- Date submitted
- 8 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object strongly to the proposal to bring back commercial aviation to the Manston airport site. I work from home and I know from bitter experience living under a flight path in London that the noise of planes coming in and out of the site would disrupt my work and severely impair my quality of life and my health.
Furthermore, as a volunteer Coastal Warden for the North East Kent Marine Protected Area, I know that the proposed site is very close to the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Sandwich/Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve. As Kent Wildlife Trust's own website states, it is their "largest reserve, and of international importance for its bird populations", which use the marsh and mudflats as a migration route and for roosting and feeding grounds. As well as bringing people to the area and serving as a wonderful community asset, as an SSSI of global importance, any disruption to the wildlife there, which aviation at Manston would certainly cause, would not only be morally reprehensible but also an offence under Section 28 P(6) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, I cite: "without reasonable excuse, intentionally or recklessly to destroy or damage any of the flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features by reason of which land is of special interest, or intentionally or recklessly to disturb any of those fauna."
Finally, there isn't the transport infrastructure around the airport to make this financially viable or even a remotely pragmatic proposal. In short, the whole idea really should be rejected on the grounds that it will cause far more harm than good to the local population.