Urgent need for environmental assessment

I subscribe to your Newsletter which I find very informative. I would like to raise some questions about what involvement the Environment Agency (EA) have in these developments.

In my view, based upon past experience with Industrial Planning issues, the EA should be involved. Indeed I think they should be involved as part of all the planning issues and meetings. There are far too many environmental issues at stake for them not to be actively involved

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Campaigners anger at bid to introduce night flights

Airport owners have been accused of trying to "pull a fast one" after revealing new plans for night flights over Herne Bay. Controversy has boiled for the past two years over the policy, with Manston Airport owners Infratil keen to boost the number of night flights at the Thanet airport.

Under the current agreement the airport is not allowed any scheduled flights between 11pm and 7am. But in a new revised proposal submitted on Friday, Infratil says it will limit any flights between 11.30pm and 6am to less than two a night and will comply with a strict noise quota.

But the policy leaves them free to fly as many planes as they want - unrestricted by noise limits - between 11pm and 11.30pm and 6am and 7am.

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Manston Parish Council: night flights meeting

Hello,

My husband and I have been reading your newsletters with interest. When we moved to Manston in 2003, the level of activity at the airport was acceptable. However, we were totally unaware of the failed proposals that had been submitted in the past. We have been complaining to Infratil on a regular basis and, in line with comments from some of your subscribers, Infratil rarely acknowledged our complaint. We have since discovered that there are actually two links to two different complaint forms online. Since we have used your link, we have been receiving the usual standard reply, but we keep plugging!

For us, it's not "just" the night flights issue - often during the day the ghastly smell of jet fumes pervades our small development, and our houses (even with windows closed) and we have been concerned about pollution when jets linger on the apron. For my part, I am at home all day, so there is no escape for me!

We thought you might be interested to know (if you don't already!) that Manston Parish Council has convened a special meeting at 6pm at the Village Hall, Preston Road, on Friday 11 November. The Parish Council is keen to know the views of local residents in order to present "our" overall opinion to TDC.

There is a caveat on the invitation... The meeting is open only to Manston residents whose names appear on the current electoral role!

Kind regards,

Manston resident

Decision nears on runway waste plan

The Environment Agency will make a decision next month on plans to allow drainage of runway waste into Pegwell Bay.

The government body invited residents to view the application made by Infratil, the owners of Manston airport, at a meeting in Ramsgate last week.

Infratil wants to upgrade the existing surface water drainage pipeline. If approved, the airport will install an interceptor tank capable of removing runoff water from the taxiways, aprons and runway before discharging the waste into the sea.

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Questions, questions

The current owners of Manston Airport want to change the rules that govern night flights. This is a major change in the way the airport is used, so Thanet District Council will be launching a public consultation. Both TDC and Infratil (the airport owners) will probably be doing their best to engineer a "yes" result. Smoke and mirrors, misinformation and partial truths will all play their part.

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nightflight-nightmare

Listen up, good people: your Quality of Life is at stake. Scheduled night flights would be a nightmare - you can help stop them before they start.

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