We really need jobs, jobs, jobs! Decent and secure employment is top of my wish list for Thanet. I know many others feel the same way. Decent work is the foundation for a fulfilling life for many.
To tackle the rising tide of poverty in our area and reverse the decline of our emptying high streets we have to move from a reliance on precarious employment to providing rewarding and secure job opportunities for the long term.
Post-covid, we will require a settlement to help us recover from the economic pressure and strains that the pandemic and austerity have placed on us all. They say we are heading into the worst recession in our history. Making cogent plans to secure full and decent employment should be ‘the goal’ that brings our communities together in common cause.
Manston has long been an issue that divides us. It’s no secret that I’ve campaigned on an anti cargo hub and no night flights manifesto, yet I have sympathy with both the ‘fors’ and ‘againsts’.
Over the years I’ve listened to thousands of people outlining their concerns and hopes. It almost always comes down to the need for fulfilling employment opportunities. People don’t want zero hour or temporary contracts. They don’t want to work in jobs below their skill level. They resent working for minimum wages and they don’t go to work for no satisfaction. But that’s often what’s on offer.
‘The wrong decision’
I wish I could feel excitement and optimism about the green light for an air freight hub at Manston, but given the extraordinary circumstances in which permission has been granted, I can’t quite suspend my disbelief. This is a wholly political and a wholly wrong decision. The Expert Inspectorate (ExA) who spent considerable time and cost writing a report, didn’t recommend the air freight hub. They could not see benefit in the proposal that the Manston plan be given a DCO as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).
Why has the Secretary of State decided, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, to give it the go ahead? The Government’s own advisors say this plan risks the UK carbon targets being missed. Can there be anything more important than tackling the climate emergency?
Not long ago, the plans for the the Heathrow expansion were ruled illegal by the Court of Appeal. That scheme “did not adequately take into account the Government’s own commitments to tackle the climate crisis”. The Government is set to repeat that folly here in Manston. The Secretary of State has blithely ignored the evidence of their own experts.
Whilst this is wholly political decision it’s also one that effectively passes the buck and leaves the markets to decide whether there are sufficient bullish investors who have £300m to get the project off the ground. Freight capacity currently exists at other UK airports, already operational and with major infrastructure in place, including roads, railways, warehousing and the pre-existing skilled workforce.
Legal challenges
We need cool heads now. I strongly suspect that legal challenges will be brought, given the environmental stakes are sky high. This will cause inevitable lengthy delays. The judicial process is very time consuming, For instance, I’m still waiting to go to appeal with Marion Kepple in respect of the closure of the acute stroke unit at QEQM.
The legal challenges against Manston air freight hub will be mounted. The research conducted and assembled by the ExA and others will be scrutinised. The impact on the environment and our health will be examined in detail.
The impact on the environment and our health will be examined in detail. Research confirms that exposure to regular aircraft noise dramatically increases the risk of dying from a heart attack. In addition, exposure to carbon monoxide from planes also impacts respiratory conditions like Asthma, causing increased hospitalisation.
Some think Manston is vital to imports and will be a boon to exports. Think again. The weaker pound makes imports more costly. Air freighted goods more-so. We are in uncharted territory. Post Brexit, UK goods are likely to become more expensive to export. Tariffs negotiated on a country by country basis will make it it difficult for companies to export efficiently. We can take nothing for granted.
We simply don’t know how Brexit and Covid will impact our markets.
Where will the mandatory house building be?
In addition, losing Manston as a potential brown-field housing site means, without doubt, we will see thousand’s more homes crammed into unsuitable green spaces and green wedges. Again, this is imposed upon us by central Government. We won’t get the 400 social (council) homes that Stone Hill Park promised, nor the other amenities including an advanced manufacturing business park creating high quality jobs, nor ‘tourism magnet’ leisure facilities which included a surf lake and Kent’s first Olympic-standard swimming pool. These came as part of a package of 4000 homes.
Also take into consideration that Heathrow’s Terminal 5, cost £4.3b to build. Will £300m actually be enough cash to get Manston going? I have my doubts. Especially when you consider the escalating costs of the Parkway railway station.
The ExA reached the right conclusion. That the Secretary of State overrides them is unacceptable and sets dangerously low standards. The Government isn’t acting in the public interest but their own. It’s a narrow, fettered, self-interested decision and aims to hoodwink us all into believing in the unbelievable. It denies a public discussion about what Thanet really needs, and what we should be demanding from our Government.
Jobs, jobs, jobs.
We may continue to disagree. However, we should agree that, as a minimum, regardless of what happens (or doesn’t) at Manston, and regardless of our own personal preferences, that we need our senior politicians to urgently secure an immediate economic recovery plan for Thanet, the poor relation in Kent.
Thanet has vibrant potential, with very many talented and highly qualified young people. We are not currently harnessing, utilising and developing their skills and talents. Nor do we have a strategy in place to develop work in new green technologies or the creative industries where we can expect expansion of opportunities.
Government must underwrite a plan to ensure the provision of decent, sustaining work that we all need. Not tomorrow, nor contingent on private sector investors but NOW!
Can we agree on that?
The other view
Airport = Jobs… construction, labouring, skilled labour, low skilled jobs, high skilled jobs, maintenance, engineering, management, apprenticeships……….
I have voted Labour in the past but I can see no reason to vote for them again anytime soon. It is beyond me how they can pretend to be wanting to improve the area and yet be so against the Manston Airport reopening. Maybe the new labour leader will help the party take a good hard look at its self and find a way to attract voters instead of frightening them away. It is Labour’s fault that Boris Johnson has a majority of 80 MPs many of them from Ex labour strongholds.
Manston Airport Reopening is far far better than 500 houses being built on the site. It’s bad enough now trying to get a doctors / dentist appointment now without more and more houses being built.
Agreed… Perhaps Labour are afraid Manston will bring some cargo from Israel…
Ann the houses are still being built thousands of them across thanet hundreds already have planing permission and hundreds have already been built.
Yes TDC = approve the housing. forgetting SHP plans were never on the local plan of course TDC wanted them they would of been windfalls ?
It would be bloody awful to live near the kind of airport RSP say they want.
Again Marva. The airport was here long before you. If you don’t like it, then move. I can’t make it any more simple than that.
You missed an opportunity to say “snowflake”.
I’m not going to move, I like Ramsgate.
Ah the classic “if you dont like it then move”. The go-to, irrelevant non-argument for people with nothing to actually add.
Only an airport on and off since 1989
Rou
You are ill informed Ann, it was 4,000 desperately needed homes that were initially planned, plus light and technical industries, similar to Discovery park. Manston reopening won’t produce any jobs, other than for morticians, as the people in Thanet die from lung diseases caused by air pollution! No doubt the people in favour of destroying Ramsgate, especially the Harbour, do NOT live under the flight path, so arn’t affected by two or more aircraft flying low over Ramsgate Harbour, up the High Street at just 250 to 200 meters height, an hour!
What should have been done is for a plebiscite to be carried out with only those living under the flight path, who will have their property devalued allowed to vote for or against reopening Manston! No one else because they won’t be be affected, and the decision should be final!
As a Registered “Interested Person” I have just received a letter from the Planning Inspectorate explaining why the Secretary of State has over ruled the Inspectorates decision NOT to allow Manston to reopen. In Paragraph 44 it says “Overall the Secretary of State considers substantial weight should be given to the socio-economic benefits that would result from the development, and these would outweigh the HARM that may occur to the tourist industry in Ramsgate”.
So, Ramsgate especially the Harbour is to be sacrificed so rich Americans can own an airport just two miles from the Town. Low flying aircraft at less than 300 meters high, approaching over the Harbour, two an hour roaring up the High Street, just 200 meters high behind the ASDA store, and only 150 meters high over St Lawrence, and 100 meters over Nethercourt, will bring devastation to the people of Ramsgate, and have their homes devalued, and quality of life destroyed, by air, and noise pollution! Is this what Thanet people voted for? Oh! right, of course no one voted for it did they??
? Death, destruction, sacrifice, destroy, roaring, HARM, devastation…… any more scare words you wanna throw in there for a laugh! Christ scaretactics.com and letting a small part of ramsgate on the borders of an airport decide it’s fate! ??♂️ Sounds like a remoaners argument!
Cllr Constantine I don’t normally agree with You, but what you say here is almost exactly what I have thought would be happening over the next few months or even years, an appeal is bound to be made on similar grounds to the Heathrow one, also the inspectorate’s report was it seems completely ignored. I to don’t see many of Thanet’s people being employed there as the area has not many people with the type of skills needed these would come further afield most likely from Sussex, Surrey and around the m25 areas where there are plenty of fully trained staff being laid off by the Airports and Airlines, why use money on training when there are already plenty chewing at the bit to get work.
Those of us not be-dazzled by the presentations of RSP and Tony Freudman have predicted a scenario where the likely operators at Manston will attracted by the ability to land/ take off at unsocial hours. The operation of dedicated freight planes are, in the main, former passenger craft and will be older, noisier and more polluting than the modern passenger planes. One large plane will result in the need to send several lorries up the M2 and around the M25 to get to the national distribution centres. The aspect of passenger flights was always set at some future unspecified date and given the additional costs associated with passenger travel, it is speculative, at best.
Cllr Constantine 100% correct.
Manston is a non starter all the experts say this.
This decision smells something is right here.
No infrastructure what so ever at manston, cargo planes are the older type of planes more polluting and noisy. Freight is all about getting goods from one place to another as cheaply and quickly as possible, something manston doesn’t offer.
I hope the government brings in a law that curtails the power of the courts to interfere with government decisions.
I did not vote for some pompous judge/s to govern the country, I like millions of others voted for the best out of two parties to run the country. I’m sick of these long drawn out legal fights that make the lawyers very rich but do nothing for democracy. We had a referendum I voted to stay in but the majority vote out so that is that we are out.
The left are very good at one thing and one thing only ………Driving those who used to be left over to the right.
Yeah, rule of law is a terrible thing. Better let Dominic Cummings just take charge
He has taken charge!
Thank goodness for an Independent judiciary. It would be a truly horrific situation if the final arbiters were politicians.
Totally agree Andrew, the lack of an independent judiciary is one step closer to dictatorship
This is one of the most peculiar comments I thonk I’ve read here. You want a law to stop legal challenges? Do you not think that is a bit of a contradictory position to take? Look up contradictory if you are confused…
*edit. Something isnt right here
Manston isn’t a political issue, but the supporters have done well to make it so. People of all politics are horrified at the prospect of this monstrous cargo hub, given the green light by some stinking political goodwill. The protestors won the argument but the politicians own the power but let’s see about that when a judge gets to consider the absurd decision to disagree with the planning experts.
Stop making Manston political.
Can we have a community opinion piece please. How about offering Nethercourt Action Group a voice? After all, they live practically on the runway and will suffer planes at less than 350 feet over their properties.
IOTN? Nethercourt Action Group Opinion?
Unfortunately, it has become political issue. The Planning Inspectorate (professional planners) were not convinced by the flimsy case put forward by RSP as regards the commercial need and recommended refusal. The Transport Minister (Conservative politician) decided to overrule that decision. My guess is that the Govt are now desperate to distract from the pathetic mis-handling of the Covid outbreak and the fact that we are likely to end up with no deal.
Emmeline, I’ve lived on the Nethercourt Estate for the last 30 years so I know what planes flying 350 feet above the house sound like. When they were last flying from Manston it never worried me with noise. Hardly noticed the planes going directly over my house. No, I’m not deaf. I do not know what the fuss is all about. Thanet needs somebody who can bring employment for the area.
Only one persons opinion, there are vey many more favourable opinions out there.
Manston re-opening gives us a wonderful light at the end of a rather miserable dark tunnel.
I, for one, will be very happy to see planes landing (and taking off) at Manston.
It seems that even our Government has now seen how Manston will be become very important for the coming World Trade that Brexit will bring us.
The message is, as I see it, Heathrow & Gatwick will be able to concentrate on Passenger Flights. Freight hubs like Southend, and now Manston, will keep our shops full of goods and our factories supplied with industrial needs, as our world expands. Besides, Manston has always been important as an Airport, shame Ms Gloag shut it down, an action to her discredit of the minds of our local folk.
“Save Manston Airport” Group, I raise my glass in congratulations. Well done for your part in supporting Manston all the way! I believe we have done what we set out to do.
“Besides, Manston has always been important as an Airport, shame Ms Gloag shut it down”
Nope. It shut itself down, losing £10,000 a day when it finally closed and many millions over its lifetime.
As expert after expert says: Manston is too far away from anywhere else to have a big enough catchment area. Unless you live in Thanet, it’s quicker to go to Gatwick.
Karen Constantine. You are planning on appeal against the Stroke Unit Judicial Review Decision? The process in which you are accused of concealing Thanet environmental hazards to health contrary to statutory duty and Civil Procedure Rules.
The opportunity to clear this up by answering Standards Complaint at TDC was ended BY YOUR RESIGNATION.
You later claimed first there was no standards process. Then faced with records you changed position to claiming you were unaware of standards process when you escaped it. Then faced with records you were aware … silent sulky Karen.
It is you and SONIK who cost Thanet best chance of an HASU and it is SONIKS lawyers LEIGH DAY who concealed the relevant facts of this from maternity tragedy inquests.
You have caused real harm to Thanet Karen.
In case people did not follow. In 2019 United Nations Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) upgraded the toxicity of a chemical called PFOA. It is in the residue of firefighting foam.
Almost immediately SHP flogged Manston to RSP. For 16.5 million.
The enforcement action remediation and containment will be by Environment Agency coincident with development phase of Manston RSP plans
PFOA was on the UN POPs list since about 2007. Southern Water have never tested the public water supply drawn from Manston aquifer for highly toxic PFOA. I called in DEFRA Drinking Water Inspectorate last year to secure ban and a testing provision against further use of Manston aquifer,
When Karen and SONIK took out judicial reviews of stroke unit decision the Court basically, via rules, requires to be told
(1) What are the possible correlations for Thanet high stroke, high copd, high cancer, high maternity tragedy rates
(2) Has there been any breach of statutory duty to report such risk factors to NHS CCG Planning
I assume they did this so they could abuse court process as a platform for their leftie rhetoric to blame all Thanet high illness rates on tory cuts, social deprivation and austerity. But SONIK and Karen knew they were lying.
Under the equality objective of NHS planning law, the best chance Thanet had of extra NHS provision (including even an HASU) was to cite environmental hazards to health (Such as PFOA ) NOT suffered by other areas. Hence it was Karen and SONIK who lost Thanet the best chance of proper NHS provision.
Oh No Mr Card is on his hobby horse again
And experts are listening who may be more help than god ?
Pro manston supporters
How is manston going to uncut the airports which are already up and running with good infrastructure?
Manston has nothing to offer unless like Robster you think it’s going to deliver food and things to thanet shops ! If that’s the case the price in our shops will go through the roof lol
But on a serious note please explain how manston without any infrastructure is going to be a success
So much Doom and blooming Gloom!!! How about look at the many positives of the airport! Also they are looking into re-opening the port at ramsgate to ferry freight into London, Manston-port-London. Soo many prospects. And those of you that’ll moan about noise coming from the airport…. well I’m sorry but don’t buy a house near an airport. You wouldn’t buy a house next to a rifle range and complain about the sound of guns!
You believed the story of transferring cargo from Manston onto lorries to the harbour and then go by electric barges up the Thames to then get put onto other lorries? Bless.
Some people appear to believe anything they are told! Lorries to the port then non-existent electric barges to presumably Tilbury then another lorry to the end destination. Total fantasy.
Some people obviously can’t see through there own ego to reveal what may be a great idea. I have suggested in my comment that this was something they were looking at, I not once mentioned the electric barges that your asking me to provide info on! I’ve just stated that the plan to offload cargo to the port was an option they are looking at. Not just good for another Thanet site laying mostly unused but good for the unused sites along the Thames. Just because you do not like something doesn’t automatically make it a fantasy or a terrible idea. Open minded “businessman” you clearly are not. There are a lot of Thanet businesses that could potentially do very well from a fully operating cargo hub at Manston. Clearly yours does not fall into that category!
Josh
But you dont say how this is going to happen ! Where is the research into electric barges ? Where is the funding coming from for the infrastructure ?
What positives? You mean the 30,000 jobs lies by RSP? Even the inspector made a comment these jobs figures are spurious.
Also, they’re not looking at re opening the port to ferry freight to London. The story of Tony and his electric barges is about as likely as the MOD moving their high resolution detection finder.
The negativity is draining! 30,000 jobs or 3000 jobs, it’s more jobs regardless! And about not employing local because of lack of skill, we’ll If your in the Closing stages of school/college think about how to put yourself into a position to be favourable for a skilled job there. But there will be jobs for all levels of skill from cleaners to maintenance to security to top level skilled jobs, short term jobs, temp jobs, perm jobs. Local contracts, overseas contracts(great for hoteliers, publicans etc)! Stop all this negativity please!
From the ExA
“The ExA concludes and recommends that while the end result may be similar to the job forecast figures shown in Figure 4 above, these would be at a national level as opposed to a more local level, and consequently would not benefit Thanet and East Kent or the wider Thames Estuary to the same degree as stated in the Azimuth Report, and may provide more benefit to other areas with significantly different socio-economic baselines to the area surrounding the airport.”
So the jobs produced will be “and may provide more benefit to other areas with significantly different socio-economic baselines to the area surrounding the airport.”
So the experts say not Thanet jobs
Manston has nothing to offer unless like Robster you think it’s going to deliver food and things to thanet shops ! If that’s the case the price in our shops will go through the roof lol
not just for Thanet (twit) but for the whole of the Country
As I said on another post, the apparent investors are going to want to see at least 1 percent annual return on their £300million, that is a three million pound profit a year, on something that has never been profitable.
They say they will employ 1,500 people when it opens, that’s a £20 million wage bill
The airport is going to need to turn over £23 million from the outset, and that is excluding all their other bills which will be in the many millions too.
Given Southampton only turns over £30million and that is a well established airport someone please tell me how the numbers add up when they going to have to entice business in with very low rates or even at a loss to get them in ????
Please airport fans can you tell me ??
Louise Congdon of Avia did a detailed analysis of the business case for Manston, Sally Dixon of Azimuth having neglected to do one.
Expressions containing the words “snowball” and “hell” spring to mind.
The powers that be wont want an airport at Manston they just want to cover the whole of Thanet in bloody houses
All this absurd tosh about Manston has nothing to offer. YOU doom and gloomers are the ones with nothing to offer whatsoever. Manston Airport was NEVER losing £10,000 a day that was made up figure. There was a conspiracy to close Manston Airport by five people and we all know who they were. The plan was to obtain planning permission to build hundreds of houses. Then sell Manston on making three of the bods millions of pounds of profit.
The courts and judges of this land need a good clear out, they interfere with democracy and allow murders to walk the streets when they should be deported. Judges are the most lazy sector of public workers and really do think they are a law unto themselves. They work on average about 4 hours a day. They are an old boy network long over due reform.
“Judges are a law unto themselves”.
I think you should join Ms Constantines Protest lessons at King Ethelberts.
Judges are bound by authority of previous judgments which considered the same issues.
Karen will put you in the picture. So first the protestor must choose an authority of their liking. Then tailor their facts to try to con the judge to accept the authority.
So Karen and SONIK lied to court in stroke unit judicial review. They concealed toxic environmental hazards to health. Including Manston aquifer public water supply.
Why lie? I wonder if the clue is above? Karens wants houses and an olympic swimming pool at Manston. And maybe like RSP she don’t want the cost of a proper site remediation and containment.
Oh dear Ann does that conspiracy extend to Freudmann who made such poor business decisions that Planestation went bust in 2005.
Can you Ann provide any year since 1998 when Manston actually made a profit?
No I didn’t think so
So funny to see the comments that say the previous owners were only in it for the the money, like RSP are some sort of rich philanthropists only doing it to help the residents of Thanet 🙂
God help you. Who was the person who landed a well paid job at Lydd Airport ? . Who has seen the true accounts of Manston Airport before it closed? The only “ poor decision of plane station. Was the bank they had , that was later shown in a television documentary to expose the banks corrupt methods that lead to the downfall of the COE.
Seeing as opening an airport without any infrastructure in the bottom right hand corner of Britain is seen as a profit making business. Makes you wonder why no one was built an airport at Lands End or John O Groats
Existing Large airport with a coastal approach….not quite the same as lands end or John O Groats! Your comment might stand up if Manston airport didn’t actually exist!
Manston only exists thanks to the RAF only time without the RAF it keeps going bust
Still not the point. The fact is that there is an airport already there! Hence why your comparison to lands end & John O Groats is nonsense.
Yes it might a nonsense statement I made but it points out that airports are not built at the extremes corners of country. Hence why manston regardless of it being an ex RAF airport is in the wrong place for a privately run airport.
Just simply put it has no infrastructure.
There is no airport at Manston.
Mr Chance. Sure sign you have not seen the non road network In those areas compared to the excellent road network from Manston Airport. Dual carriageways all the way.
Ann
Since when has the thanet way and M2 been excellent ?
A busy airport will need at least a 3 lane motorway. But enough of that how is bring aviation fuel in my hundreds of HGV tankers cost effective ?
So we now have hundreds of HGV aviation tankers going up and down these little two lane motorway. What could possibly go wrong.
Hundreds of HGV’s, aviation fuel…. Sounds like jobs to me.
You think ? It’s not going to be cost effective buying fuel at manston with all the transport cost of the HGV, your wages etc, when other airports are on the National fuel pipeline. Planes only fly with enough fuel for that one flight plus spare for any emergency. That in its self makes manston a non starter
Not only HGV aviation tankers but lots of HGV taking the cargo to the M25 it wont take much to grid lock a 2 lane motorway.
Unusually I find myself in agreement with much of what Cllr Constantine has written. There is no doubt Thanet needs jobs, sustainable long term jobs. Much as I dislike Tim Martin and Wetherspoons his company created over 150 jobs in Ramsgate and restored a wonderful building that had lain unused and derelict for many years. Sustainable jobs that do not threaten the local environment and heritage that we in Ramsgate are so lucky to enjoy.
On the other hand Manston reopening as a cargo hub will threaten the very future of Ramsgate, create relatively few real jobs none of which are sustainable and will offer little to residents of Thanet as many skilled workers will simply commute in from London, Sussex , Surrey etc. This for a project for which no need was proven after extensive evidence was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. If it ever opens it will surely fail financially but this will inevitably take years to happen and in the meantime other sustainable economic development in Ramsgate will be put on hold and sustainable long term jobs with it.
I also have nothing against weatherspoons however, these jobs you say it’s created is up to 150 unskilled, low paid, 0 hours contracted jobs. Hardly a game changer.
The council had the job of maintaining the pavilion but failed to spend money year after year.
It was on lease by Rank who moved out to shitty Cross and they too never maintained the building.
Sod the Rank wank
Sod the useless trashy District Council who could not organise a piss up in a Frank Thorley pub.
Thanetbusinessman
It’s odd why the pro’s think thanet has the skills base here ready and waiting ! Even the HGV aviation tanker drivers will be based at the fuel depot not manston.
I agree with you any skilled workers will move from other airports.
I dont see any benefits to thanet or ramsgate. Yes it wont ever open but it just puts everything on hold again for years.
It’s a truly bizarre decision to give manston the go a head but I cant see any moneymen putting money into it.
Ha ha ha. The Business man agreeing with Labour, what business is that then making “ closed down signs” ?
Ann
One simple question.
Would you pay well over the odds for fuel or travel an extra few minutes to fuel up a lot cheaper ?
1) use manston pay over the odds and be miles from an decent infrastructure.
2) use Gatwick or Midlands with cheaper fuel and a good infrastructure.
Which is it ?
Mr Chance.
I have flown from Manston 26 times, Gatwick 14 times ,Stanstead 8, and Heathrow 8. Manston has always been the easiest by far. Gatwick and Heathrow are hard work. You have to walk miles to the gate and often delays. At Stanstead the carpark is a packed bus ride from the terminal, that’s if you can get on the bus at all. The M25 is often slow running.
Bless you Ann you have struggled at airports but this cargo hub love is run by a fraudster.. When will you smell the bacon.
All you ever did was moan.. Even now in this post you moan about airports but so jubilated to have a known fraudster run offshore leaks Manston.
Planestation… Went bust
Wiggins too.
Sold to Brian Souter of Infratil
He sells to his sister Anne Gloag and she sells to Cartner and Musgrave they too were offshore leaks fraudsters. Still licking his arse Ann.
She sells to Freudman he is offshore leaks. Plus many other fraudulent situations… Roger Gale supports a fraudster but then tories Ann are that…
Anne Gloag is offshore leaks
The two funders are linked offshore leaks still Ann licking his arse
Cllr Constantine you have constantly been against Jobs Jobs Jobs in Thanet, and this article underlines this, any appeal to a Judicial review will cost millions and then there is the millions that any appeal to that of the lawyers fees of RiverOak, which again will cost millions.
I have never understood why Thanet Labour have been against good jobs for locals and good homes for local people, maybe Thanet population who’s households are poor will in your eye’s, guarantee a vote for Labour, sorry but this 1970’s view is out of keeping of the 21st century ideals.
I and many of my friends who live on Newington estate want a fully functional Manston Airport, you and your views do not represent me or any of my friends who live here also, you would wish a sprawling Newington estate MK2 over the jobs Manston Airport offers us local people.
Please stop using us residents who live here on the Newington Estate as fuel for your anti airport mantra. we are sick of it.
Ann that wasnt the question !
If you run a freight company would you fly into
1) use manston pay over the odds and be miles from an decent infrastructure.
2) use Gatwick or Midlands with cheaper fuel and a good infrastructure.
Which is it ?
I wasnt asking you which airport you found easiest to use. In business it’s about making money
Decent jobs Karen describe one to me
Wiping arses all day for £8.72 an hour or worse zero rated contracts
Hospitality £8.72 an hour
Residential Support work. £8.72 an hour
We have no industry here
Retail. £8.72
Do you think wages reflect cost of living Karen?
Do you think it’s shameful that food banks even exist?
Mr Chance. If I run an airline I would go for Manston Airport rather than get involved in the stacking system above Gatwick and Heathrow and city airport. If I owned a freight company Manston Airport would be best, less delays easy access.
Luckily you don’t run an airline !!
These companies have had 20-30 years to move away from a hub airport to one on the edge of the country… they haven’t… they know that won’t make a profit… !!!!
Who is kidding whom? 4,000 houses at over £100k plus, to include build cost and infrastructure, roads drainage etc that’s half a billion pounds of contract work!! No wonder those construction companies have their brown envelopes ready..
Pollution, well how will 10,000 people move around that rural area of small roads? Apart from the pockets of construction companies abd those who help them being well lined who else will benefit?
Health centres, ha ha, can’t find enough doctors as it is. Jobs from a handful of industrial units of which dozens across Thanet are already empty.
No, this is just about greed and money for the few who want to concrete our landscape.
Ego. Before you comment on here please make sure you know what you are talking about.
Ann
Any cargo hub needs to be central it’s not rocket science !
Ann, as such an airport fan, answer my question about how the numbers add up then !
the pro’s never answer any question about how the numbers will work lol
Ann?
Usual answer is ‘because airport’ then throw some insults !
Please Ann, tell me how they are going to ‘invest’ £300m and suddenly become profitable and turn over more and employ more people than an established Airport like Southampton does?
Come on. It is formula stuff. Top of her wish list (Isn’t she caring eh?) Is jobs jobs jobs. Oooooh and not just any jobs either. Karen wants “Decent and secure employment” for a fulfilling life.
Because she also wants an Olympic sized swimming pool can we infer that the secure employment in her vision is for a dozen lifeguards ?
If Karen you imagine a thousand such olympic pools? One drop of PFOA is all it needs to make that amount of water toxic. So don’t fill the olympic pool from Manston aquifer eh Karen ?
Way back when the bleat was even then on Thanet lips “We need local jobs for local people” someone hearkened. And locals worked on a site which was known as Sericol. And for the next 30 years they poisoned their own area water supply with leaking cyclohexanone.
I don’t know why you, Richard Card, assume that Karen Constantine personally wants an Olympic swimming pool. She is merelyreminding people of some of the possibilities for the ex-airport site which were suggested by SHP. Presumably before construction work started on anything at all, SHP would do some research into its viability on that particular site.
It seems that Egon Spengler does know what he’s talking about. A hub needs to be in the centre of something.
Except for mine, all the above comments seem to a load of Beach Litter!
Ignorant assumptions, stupid Lies.
You are so funny, Robster!
Karen is very wide of the mark here. I’m old enough to remember Thanet’s heyday, when there was both a thriving leisure industry and a very active and succesful airport, including an RAF base. The planes – and there were a lot of them- were simply not a problem, and there were plenty of jobs. The reopening of Manston as a state-of-the-art carbon neutral airport is a golden opportunity for this area to embrace the future. The successful Labour governments of the post war era were pro employment, and pro technology and innovation. Aviation will always be an a essential component of a modern economy, and it can be made ‘green’, the technology is getting cleaner and more efficient all the time. As a Labour party member I sometimes despair at the ideologically driven fantasies of some of our elected representatives. If Labour is ever to regain power and reconnect with it’s natural base, it really needs to move towards a much more pragmatic approach towards job-creation opportunities such as the Manston DCO. Thanet has a choice here: it can remain as a relatively deprived and poorly educated backwater, where many young people must choose between low skilled, low paid/zero hours jobs or leaving; or it can seize the opportunity to be at the leading edge of of the 21st century, green aviation industry. Make no mistake, it’s coming, and Manston is almost uniquely well placed to become a hub of innovation and excellence. It would be to the Labour party’s eternal shame were it to have any part in attempts to thwart the reopening. For the sake of future generations, the DCO and the massive inward investment it brings should now be welcomed with open arms by anyone who genuinely cares about the people of this area.
The consequence of a DCO is that the local council has no input to developmental matters for the airport. It has been taken out of their hands and elected representatives have no longer have any say in the matter. So its a bit pointless chiding Ms Constantine or encouraging her to get involved – the local council has been side lined.
Surely it’s up to local politicians to contribute by coming up with ideas for local jobs initiatives and projects, and work with associated groups on this, rather leave it all to national government. That would be a positive for once. Too easy to snipe from the sidelines and not come up with any concrete ideas that do create long term jobs. Let’s hear this from Ms Constantine – or any of the others.
I can’t help thinking its simply a tactical decision by the government to agrre to manston cargo in the short term to ensure they have their brexit lorry Park for another year or so simply to get us through that shambles!
Convenient timing isn’t it?