A Development Consent Order application submitted by the firm hoping to bring aviation back to the Manston airport site has been accepted for the pre-examination stage by the Planning Inspectorate.
RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) resubmitted its application for the DCO on July 16 after withdrawing a previous submission.
The DCO seeks development consent and compulsory acquisition powers over the land. It is the means of obtaining permission for developments categorised as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP). This includes energy, transport, water and waste projects.
The DCO application was originally submitted to the government Planning Inspectorate (PINS) at the beginning of April. It was withdrawn in early May after PINS’ requested further information about parts of the application. These related to funding, to the categorisation of the project as being of national significance, and to aspects of the supporting environmental statements.
The Planning Inspectorate said its concerns included an absence of sufficient information about whether the development constituted a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and the adequacy of the Transport Assessment and the Funding Statement.
The new application has been accepted today (August 14). An Examining Authority will now be appointed to examine the application. All Interested Parties and other statutory bodies will be notified of the appointment after it has been made. Representations can then be made.
The application has to go through a pre-examination and then an examination stage before a decision on whether to grant the order is made.
The Planning Inspectorate has approximately three months to prepare for the Examination. Once the application moves on to Phase 4 (Examination) there is a maximum of 12 months for the Secretary of State to make a decision on whether to approve the DCO to reopen Manston airport.
RSP’s plan for Manston includes an international cargo hub, as well as offering passenger flights.
RSP has a four phase plan across 15 years to create 19 new air cargo stands, update the runway, four new passenger aircraft stands and updated passenger terminal, refurbished fire station and new fire training area, aircraft recycling facility, flight training school, hangars for aircraft related business, highway improvements and the creation of a museum quarter.
Stone Hill Park
The site is owned by Stone Hill Park (SHP) which has submitted an enhanced application to Thanet council for homes, business and leisure to be developed at the airport site.
The documents, published on the Thanet council website, outline plans for 46,000 sq m of advanced/hi-tech employment space which SHP say will provide up to 2,000 direct jobs with 9,000 further jobs created over the course of the project, including construction and jobs in the supply chain for the wider area.
Plans include a heritage airport with an operational runway; public parks an East Kent Sports Village with facilities including Kent’s first 50m Olympic sized swimming pool and a WaveGarden surf lake; schools, a food store, cafes/restaurants, a 120-bed hotel and a health centre.
