You say (31)
#Manston #nightflights
As supposed intelligent human beings how you can see any positives to this selfish proposal is beyond me. The highly negative effect this will have on the local towns and villages and the day to day lives of local people and their businesses will be disastrous.
Not only will people not be able to sleep, as the decibels have already been proven to be over the legal limit but people businesses will fail and house prices will dramatically drop bringing this area down. Tourists will not visit this area which will mean less money is being bought to up and coming areas like Margate and Ramsgate.
What are you thinking you selfish, money hungry, life ruining group of people!! Forget about yourselves for once and start seeing the bigger picture that you are ruining thousands of people's lives!!
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
I write to say that I am against the proposed extension of night flights at Manston between 11 pm and 7 am.
I am unconvinced that new (scheduled) night flights will have any impact on unemployment figures. And I am convinced that the proposal seriously underestimates the amount of noise and nuisance these flights would cause. I live in Vale Square right under the flight path and know perfectly well how low these planes fly even in daylight. It's certainly low and loud enough for one to be able to see how shabby and polluting many of these aeroplanes are. Frankly it's often terrifying to find yourself beneath them. How long before some long-haul pilot misjudges and ploughs into some of the houses on the way into Manston?
I have lived also in Athens right next to the old Ellinikon airport where it was impossible to hold a conversation while the planes came and went. It was a byword locally for urban blight - but I can assure you that the noise level is no less here than it was there. What is different is that the planes here are largely landing whereas in Athens they were chiefly taking off; and there were many more planes at Athens - though I would point out that they were not allowed to fly by night.
It's precisely those 'many more planes' which I am anxious to avoid in Thanet. The gains to local inhabitants seem to me negligible. It is conceivable that a massive increase of airfreight at Manston might lead to a few very low-paid and possibly temporary jobs locally. But should we be prepared to throw away our chances of sleep in return for this very dubious and debatable gain?
Manston has plenty of spare capacity in the daylight hours. Where are the airlines which are queuing up to use it? It's hard not to think that this bid for might-time traffic is a means of Manston entering the bargain-basement of air traffic.
Well if they want to do that it's their choice. But should we let them do this to our town and our island?
I think not - and I think the Council should be taking the same view.
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
To whom it may concern:
I wish to express my opposition to the proposals for night flights between 11pm and 7am at Manston Airport.
The 'facts' bandied about by Infratil that night flights will create employment is just a fallacy. With the aviation industry being more and more automated, only a handful of jobs would be created. Indeed Infratil itself recently admitted that even if they doubled the amount of freight handled and increased passengers numbers to 750.000 per year, a grand total of 23 jobs would be created.
Personally I think that those 23 jobs would be negated by the loss of jobs in the local tourist industry.
At the present moment they is plenty of daytime capacity at Manston. Let Infratil use this existing capacity rather than disturbing Thanet's sleep.
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
I am totally against the Manston night flight proposal. just on the basis of my own sleep disturbance alone I would object strongly, but there are other very serious reasons for my opposition. they are...
- the scientifically proven detriment to an individual’s health by broken/disturbed sleep caused by noise, this is particularly annoying to me as a father of two young children....never mind the consequences to my wife and I of dealing with woken children every night!
- the danger of old freight planes flying over my house which is on the flight path, particularly more dangerous when the planes pass over whilst we sleep in our beds!
- the pollution created by these old aircraft
- the damage inflicted on the local tourism industry by the noise, pollution and disturbance of these proposed flights. tourism is very important in this area and in Thanet.
- the argument by Manston that this proposal would create jobs (which has been revealed as exaggerated anyway) is flawed because the flight disturbances would probably eliminate as many (or possibly even more) jobs in the local tourism industry!...and anyway, the idea that employment figures are a valid reason to promote one area of economic growth over another is plainly stupid. I can't imagine many local hotel operators or cafe owners being happy to unload freight in the small hours on minimum wage! GET REAL!!
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
I am writing to emphasize that I am strongly opposed to flights in and out of Manston Airport between the hours of 11:00 pm and 7:00 am.
I live in Minster, practically on top of the airport and directly under the path of incoming flights. In particular, the freight aircraft noise level during the day is very loud and causes the property I live in to shake from the engine reverberations. To be woken by flights landing during the night would be unbearable, and unnecessary because Manston has plenty of unused capacity throughout the daytime - why is it essential to deprive local residents of valuable sleep? Having read the proposal thoroughly, I truly feel that the ends to do not justify the means; currently night flights are banned and this should remain so.
I hope my alarm at this proposal is clearly understood and by no means understated.
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
I believe that the Council should, on balance, refuse to allow night flights a Manston.
I am also strongly against the insidious proposed rule change, allowing in "late" flights and making night start later and finish earlier.
Key points:
• There is an economic case for night flights but mainly in terms of company profitability - the people of Thanet will not get much out of this. Manston is and, despite the arguments of the applicant, is likely to remain only a minor direct employer in Thanet.
• The adverse environmental effects from allowing the application are significant: they can be shown to engage the Convention rights of thousands of people. Whilst it may be permissible to interfere with such rights for compelling and genuinely international or national reasons (Heathrow, for example) that is not the case here. The impact on human rights cannot be justified by business expansion of a second order regional freight facility .
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
Dear Sir/Madam
AGAINST NIGHT FLIGHTS
We are writing to object to the current proposal for scheduled night flights at Manston Airport.
Frequency of Flights
The current proposal is for freight and not passenger flights, and many of the old freighters used are both noisy and polluting. The current proposal suggests reducing the period of night time flying from 11:30 to 6:00 am rather than the normal ‘night’ from 11:00 to 7:00 am. The implication is that there will be no restrictions on the periods 6-7 am or 11-11:30 pm. Manston have requested 659 flights per year on this ‘shorter night’ which would amount to an average of 1.8 movements per night. However, in practice this could mean that there could be none on Monday or /Tuesday but five on a Wednesday. This would mean considerable disturbance on certain nights of the week.
Health and Noise
Scheduled night flights are currently banned, but the airport is allowed to handle late arrivals. The noise of these has been sufficient on occasion to wake members of our family from sleep and it can then take considerable time to return to sleep from full wakefulness. If the proposal for scheduled night flights is accepted those under the flight path would go to sleep knowing that they could be woken up twice in the small hours, or even potentially more than this. Independent research has shown that disturbed sleep has an adverse effect on health. It is a matter of concern that the quality of life currently enjoyed by many could be considerably reduced and the health of those under the flight path affected. It is clear that those with existing conditions of ill health, and children and the elderly would be particularly at risk. It is known that the learning capacity of children and the working efficiency of adults are both affected by tiredness. On a more personal note, I am a teacher and my work has been and would be affected by lack of sleep due to aircraft noise. There would also be greater risk of accidents at home, at work and on the roads. Tiredness can kill. The European Court of Human Rights states that sleep is a human right.
The Report commissioned by TDC states that:
the proposal for scheduled night flights will not necessarily generate more jobs and that the economic benefit to the local community has been exaggerated. Indeed, after 11 years, Manston only employs 110 people, not all of whom are full time and only 66% of these live in Thanet. In addition, due to current levels of automation in the aviation industry, it has been estimated that just 20% more employees could handle twice the current volume of UK air traffic. In fact Manston have admitted that if they doubled the amount of freight they handle and increased passengers carried from 30,000 to 750,000 they would merely create 23 new jobs.
The commissioned report also noted that the noise levels have been underestimated. The key factor is that if the noise generated causes a sleeper to wake it is too loud.
The Potential for Economic Expansion
It is of course desirable that the area undergo economic expansion and the most obvious asset is tourism. Ramsgate’s harbour area represents a very attractive asset for the tourist trade, but who would wish to holiday in a resort where regular night flights could disrupt a good night’s sleep and where the air is polluted with aviation fuel residue?
Property Prices
Not only would the quality of life of those under the flight path be affected but property prices would also be adversely affected, and the fabric of buildings damaged by noise vibration.
Lack of Sanctions
If the proposal were accepted and the airport operators chose to break the limits for night flights there appear to be no penalties or fines that could be implemented.
Current Capacity
There is plenty of spare capacity in the current provision for daytime flights.
Like many others we are seriously concerned that due to the reasons above our current quality of life and he economic potential of Ramsgate will be adversely affected and trust that you will give these matters due consideration.
Click to have your say in the Public Consultation on Night Flights
24/7, Consultation Manston, Night flights, TDC
Reader Comments (8)
Millions being wiped off Ramsgate as we speak!
Time to leave Ramsgate while the going is good?
It has a few issues but every town does. You must admit, on a summers evening, walking down to the Royal Harbour and seeing all those lights on the yachts and cafe bars bustling with people enjoying a few glasses of vino is a pleasant thing. Or the Esplanade on a spring day, looking out to sea. It is tres pleasant no? That's why I'm on here, fighting for this - because I care about what happens to Ramsgate. I'd hate to see it decline into a chasm of depression and emptiness!! The town has so much potential.
Tell you what though - if night flights happen....Back to Whitstabubble I go!
GULP!
I moved from Canterbury to Ramsgate 10 years ago and setup my business. I fell in love with the harbour and the towns amazing architecture. Unfortunately I live in a new build property which has little to no sound insulation, it's a no brainer to sell while there is still some equity left over.
Sitting with the estate agent on Saturday looking for a new home seemed surreal and unbelievable but to be honest I'm tired of this threat hanging over the town.