Thursday, December 11, 2008

Going Environmental

A big, Dickie 'mwah' to all of you who've sent cards, bouquets and choccies to the old cliff top mansion during my recent infirmity. I can now assure all my fans that I'm on the mend, as evidenced by the fact that I've been sitting up and telling jokes to the nurses.

Unfortunately, though, I won't be well enough to attend tomorrow's open meeting hosted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England to discuss such threats to our Thanetian environment as RAF London Kent etc's Daft Bastard Plan, China Gateway, Thanet Earth Watery Tomato Factory and Phase 2 of the East Kent Access Road. The meeting kicks off at 7.30pm in St George's Hall in Broad Street and speakers will include Dr Caroline Lucas (Green MEP for the South East), John Stewart (Chair of AirportWatch) and Dr Hilary Newport (Director of CPRE Kent).

This meeting has already been heavily poo-pooed by a well known Tory, aviation-fuel-loving element of the Thanet blogosphere (can't think who I mean!). So it's got to be worth a look-in, surely?

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

With Gatwick being close from 6 to 10.30 this morning did the people of Ramagate notice any increase in aircraft noise.
When I visited Ramsgate this year and sat on the Royal sands for a peaceful afternoon, those planes made a bit of a din, no wonder we went off to Broadstairs to sample the air there. Heaven help the people who buy the new flats even if the air traffic stays the same. I guess the estate agent will ring Manston first before arranging viewings. :

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Waterfront-scheme-to-buck-building-downturn-newsinkent18819.aspx?news=local

Anonymous said...

Diddy Terry Painter says in that article (which claims Royals Sands aka Pleasurama is going ahead regardless of the recession and they have appointed Cardy's of Canterbury as the builders - what happened to Knight?):

“These projects together with the London Array Wind-farm back on track, the fast rail-link coming in December, 2009, and the recently released new master-plan for Kent International Airport, investors can clearly see that Thanet is a place to do business.”

Is the diminutive developer off his chump? How on earth can a master plan for Kent International that will see planes flying low over his Royal Sands every ten minutes be a good thing? Mental!

Don Wood said...

Bring on the planes send more freight here build more flats (what else can that strip of land be used for) air traffic generates noise is this a new revelation? Sorry the airport affects those that live under its flight path did they not notice the great strip of tarmac at Manston before they bought their houses. Leave off knocking and find something to praise .......... Richard I am pleased you are feeling better I was going to send a single Malt over but poured it out before I had chance it was nice ..........oops sorry

Anonymous said...

That's the kind of comment you expect from someone safely away from the airport in Margate.

Unknown said...

I understand that Gatwick traffic was diverted into Manston early this morning, when reportedly someone forgot to de-ice the runway Several passenger jets that should have been there came here instead for a stop-over until they could finish their trip at Gatwick!

Now if the Green Party had turned Manston into a leisure and theme park, as advertised, where would all those jets have gone I wonder!?

Nemesis said...

Somewhere else Simon. Hope this is helpful.

Anonymous said...

Luton, Stansted, Heathrow, Bournemouth, Bristol, Southend, Lydd... any of those would do.

Don Wood said...

Having Lived under the flight path when it was Royal Airforce I feel I am justified in my comment when I bought my house I noticed a great big slab of concrete and heard jets take off and practice landing day and night. Did it bother me no I accepted it and got on with life.The airport is here to stay embrace it think of the time it will save you when you want to go on holiday we now dont have to go to Luton, Stansted, Heathrow, Bournemouth, Bristol, Southend, Lydd. think positive

Anonymous said...

It doesn't bother you... but it does bother me.

The airport was built during war time (40 years after my house was here) without any planning permission. Since when it has not even had to comply with basic environmental tests and standards. It has only been a commercial airport for ten years. So any a priori argument is frankly b*ll*cks.

Yes I knew it was there when I bought my house and I was prepared to put up with some noise and inconvenience. However, what I am not prepared to put up with is uninhibited, unchallenged expansion to 6 million passengers a year, without so much as a whiff of public consultation.

What's more, if you don't live in Ramsgate your views don't count as far as I'm concerned as you are all a bunch of HINIMBYs (Happy It's Not In My Back Yards).

People who do live in Ramsgate, and who care about our town, should start agitating big time.

Don Wood said...

YOU bought your house with it there so you expected it to curl up and disappear ?? or did you think like any bussiness it would prosper and grow

Anonymous said...

How do we complain.....? Please tell me. What can be done beyond clicking on the link (done that).

The airport would be an absolute disaster for Ramsgate.

Any regeneration would stop immediately.

Anonymous said...

5:17pm. Err... regeneration, what regeneration?

Don Wood said...

possibly like Gatwick has stopped growing and Heathrow ? I know people who travel to both airports to work. Regeneration wont stop it will increase and people with vision will be doing it

Anonymous said...

don, so you get the convenience of an airport 10 mins down the road for your yearly holiday, those ramsgate residents who don't like the noise have to put up with the inconvenience 365 days, 16 hours day, every few mins if infratil/tdc get their way.

cheers mate

Anonymous said...

dr moores, I think a really good use for 297 hectares of land of land on the outskirts of ramsgate is for a handful of passengers to go on a package holiday each year, some rotting fish and snide ciggies in freight, other cargo flown 3 times a week on a 747 from luxembourg(?), some leisure flights, and finally, emergency use for 3 planes when a major airport get clogged - gatwick yesterday, and maybe 3 or 4 times over the the last decade.

It says everthing that the press, TDC, KCC, infratil pi$$ their knickers when something like this happens.

Manston is a dead duck. Dig the tarmac up, give it to thanet earth. they have created 500% more jobs in a year on a third of manstons space. Thats the sort of business we want to attract, although ramsgate will be visible from the moon when they turn the lights on.

Anonymous said...

Don, you are a HINIMBY. Go on, admit it.

Anonymous said...

And please don't SHOUT. It's RUDE!

Anonymous said...

I'll tell you what regeneration -the average salary is now 30,000..and that is because Ramsgate is attracting Londoners...they will not come to the area if it is under the flight path.

If you had any vision, Don, you would see that. Having vision is not ruining a uniquely beautiful seaside town nor is it throwing away the crown jewels so that you can have more time buying Duty Free.

Anonymous said...

Are any of you lot taking any notice of what is going on? Airline profits down, Heathrow 3rd runway decision deferred, falling passenger numbers (despite the guff BAA would have you believe)
Gatwick job cuts.
Does this not say anything to you?

Anonymous said...

Why are money making developers always called people of vision?

Anonymous said...

10.08 am, quite a bit more uncertainty than that;

baa monpoly break up: forced sale of gatwick to a consortium including virgin, lufthansa and easyjet 9tying those into the airport; and ryanair having similar thoughts about stansted

every major european airline dropping routes, including the mighty ryanair

worlwide recession, so no cash around for luxuries. Not necessarily the yearly holiday, but weekends away

the pound being on less than parity against the Euro for chumps like us to change up, and ever worsening against other currencies making travel expensice.

the false low cost of fuel at present. it will bounce when the global economy improves

ageing fleets of all major airlins. None can afford to buy modern more economic planes, causi9ng environmental pressures on the air industry in the years to come.

consolidation of airlines, shrinking of carriers and routes, creating natural capcity in better located airports.

Manston has not a feckin hope in hell of 130,000 thanetians keeping it going, and it doesn't offer enough routes to bring anyone else
in.

And if the rumoured train prices for the fast rail link are as suggested in the papers, it ain't going to be cheap for anyone to get there.

Dead duck, jog on manston.