RiverOak Strategic Partners has published a draft Noise Mitigation Plan and made some changes to its proposals for the Manston airport site.
The firm has also announced plans for a community trust to be created.
The firm, which launches a new round of consultation from today (January 12), is proposing to reopen Manston airport as an air freight hub with associated business aviation and passenger services.
The company had planned to submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate to allow a compulsory purchase of the site by the end of last year but that is now delayed until after the consultation. It bought out the DCO rights from the original proposing company RiverOak corporation in December 2016.
The draft noise mitigation plan includes proposals to restrict noisier aircraft and night time operations. It also proposes the creation of a community trust.
The plan has proposals for a quota count system, used at many UK airports, which would seek to control the total amount of noise from aircraft using the airport. Twelve further measures are proposed, including an insulation scheme for residential and noise-sensitive commercial properties (such as schools), and fines for individually noisy aircraft, or those that stray from approved flightpaths without good reason, to be spent by a Community Consultative Committee that will be set up.
Other changes to the proposals include:
- smaller recycling hangars;
- additional parking to the east of the site;
- greater detail in and around the cargo facilities;
- addition of small business aviation hangars and helicopter stands;
- existing redundant pavement either side of the runways is now shown as being retained, following consultation feedback from the Environment Agency;
- a proposed fuel farm and fire station are now shown on the masterplan;
- highway junctions in and around the airport have been substantially developed, including a major upgrade to the Spitfire Way / Manston Road junction; and
- access to the passenger terminal has been substantially developed, including a 30m exclusion zone between the terminal building and traffic.
- More developed environmental information, including additional assessment of the likely effects of reopening Manston on the environment, such as the effect on climate change, waste, human health, and major accidents and disasters.
George Yerrall, a director of RiverOak, said: “Although not the only aspect of our plans that we are seeking feedback upon, we have always been aware that the issue of noise created by the operation of a redeveloped Manston airport would be one of the issues of principal concern for Thanet residents.
“We understand those concerns and, in response, have decided to proactively offer a range of commitments designed to address their concerns to the extent possible.
“Strictly speaking, a Noise Mitigation Plan is not required at either consultation or application stages of a Development Consent Order, but we believe it is right to offer a draft plan now for feedback, which will enable us to take the feedback into consideration before the plan before is finalised.”
“We look forward to welcoming the community to our consultation events in Ramsgate and Herne Bay – and to receiving feedback on any aspect of our refined proposals.”
The consultation documents can be seen online at http://rsp.co.uk/statutory-consultation/.
Documents are also at isle libraries
- Birchington Library
• Broadstairs Library
• Cliftonville Library
• Deal Library (full copy of Preliminary Environmental Information report available here)
• Herne Bay Library (full copy of Preliminary Environmental Information report available here)
• Margate Library (full copy of Preliminary Environmental Information report available here)
• Minster-in-Thanet Library
• Newington Library
• Ramsgate Library
• Sandwich Library
• Westgate Library
Public events will be held on January 23 at the Comfort Inn in Ramsgate between 2pm and 8pm and on January 24 at The Kings Hall, Herne Bay, from 2pm to 8pm.
The events are open to any member of the public that would like to attend and further details of the locations, local public transport services and other information can be found in the Statement of Community Consultation which can be downloaded from www.rsp.co.uk
The deadline for responses is 11.59pm on Friday 16 February. Responses to the consultation can be made online, by email, by post or at the consultation events or by post: to Manston Airport Consultation, Bircham Dyson Bell, 50 Broadway, London SW1H 0BL;
A spokesman for Save Manston Airport association said: “There is much new in these presentations, so we say to all, please do read as much of the documentation as you can, and do please attend the consultations and make responses regarding your views.
“We want the airport that RiverOak are creating, and the jobs, employment and training that will ensue, to reflect the views of the people of Thanet and East Kent as closely as possible. This is your chance to make your views known to the National Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State.”
Site owners Stone Hill Park held consultation events last November on their reworked proposals for housing, business, heritage and leisure space at the Manston site.
The team leading the project for Stone Hill Park, including planning consultants GVA and aviation experts York Aviation.
Proposals include:
- Keeping 1,199 metre section of the main runway as a working heritage airport with Manston’s two museums relocating to a new Spitfire Quarter, alongside new heritage aviation attractions.
- A new settlement with up to 4,000 new homes from starter homes to retirement built over 20 years with all the community facilities to support them including shops and schools.
- A new hi-tech manufacturing business park, part of a number of employment opportunities that aim to create thousands of jobs, a hotel and a new country with an area available for events, farmers markets and other community activities.
- A state-of-the-art sports and leisure village, that will deliver Kent’s first 50m Olympic sized pool, a surf lake and other sports facilities.
- SHP has also revealed that Match Day Centres has signed up to run a football centre at the site.
An updated application is expected to be lodged with Thanet council imminently.
