Tuesday, February 07, 2012

747s 24/7

Cripes! I see the new old duffers at Thanet Council have decided to drop any legal beagle mullarkey and hide behind the time-honoured 'public consultation' smokescreen when it comes to allowing knackered old cargo 747s to buzz our bonces all night long.

Not that I'm too bothered, as I rented the old cliff top mansion out to a bunch of local, er, horticulturists yonks ago. Still, I wouldn't want their plants to wilt under the stress of 500 decibels eight times a night.

So I urge you to get over to the No Night Flights website and take a squizz at the gory details. Or if that's too much of an effort, just email the council with 'I OBJECT TO NIGHT FLIGHTS' in the subject line. Do make sure you include your name, address and postcode in your missive, as the 'consultation' is weighted in favour of those who live directly under the flight path.

Right, I've done my bit. Now, where's Saskia with my G&T?

13 comments:

janewj said...

Hello you old bugger - back again huh? :-)
We've all missed you of course...

Anonymous said...

Can this really be old ECR or a facsimile of the same trundled out to lend support to the 'No to Night Flights' campaign in the same way Alex Salmond uses Sean Connery, that US based celeb who has not eaten porridge in years!

Readit said...

Let you out of the asylum to post this, did they?

It may not stay quiet in your padded cell, Boris has plans for you.

Best wishes.

A J Ovenden said...

Is this Moses returning from the wilderness.

Michael Child said...

Good to see you back Richard, any of your legal beagles know what the situation is with the night flights issue?

There has been some suggestion that the 106 agreement that is supposed to prevent night flights isn’t a valid document, because it isn’t attached to a planning application, this would I think make the previous agreement a section 52 the valid one. At this point it all gets a bit strange, as no one seems to know what’s happened to it.

Even the council’s website seems to be saying that they don’t know if they have powers to stop night flights, which seems a bit odd to me.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back

Big Bopper 69 said...

Yippee your back!!!!

Anonymous said...

Section 106 doesn't have to be attached to a planning application. It's a legally binding agreement between TDC and the airport operators and can be enforced against the airport operator if TDC wishes to do so. Unfortunately, if TDC wishes not to bother enforcing it, they can choose to do so and this seems to be exactly what has happened.

The real problem is that the Section 106 fails to specify sanctions and penalties and so, the only way of enforcing it is to go to the High Court and seek an injunction to have the airport closed down.

Obviously, the decision to sign this ridiculous document has allowed the current situation to develop and will cost a lot of money to sort out. My suggestion is simple. We are all in favour of recouping undeserved bonuses from undeserving bankers. Why not extend the principle to recouping money from the Councillors and officers who negotiated, drafted and voted on the Section 106?

Anonymous said...

You must come down to Ramsgate when the Olympics are on and experience the increase day and night flights that the airport is hopping for. 168 per day and 44 at night will be allowed. Only after that will you know whether all 15,000 residents are suffering and walking about bleary eyed. (maybe some walk about like that now)

Richard Eastcliff said...

Thanks for all the comments, but don't bank on this being the second (or even third or fourth) coming. I just popped in to say a cheery 'What ho!'.

Things are going great in the Smoke (London). Quest have recently optioned a brand new series of The Joy of Socks, which I'm fronting with my old knitwear expert chum, Alain the cardiologist.

In the evenings I mostly hang out at the excellent, brand spanking new, 5 star rated Dabbous in Fitzrovia, where one or two ex-Agers have landed. If you're ever in the area, do pop in and I'll treat you to a nosh-up!

Toodle-pip!

Anonymous said...

Dearest Darling Boy,
how good to hear from the giddy heights of celebraty St Elsewhere. I cannot tell you how much you've been missed! In the meantime the Cluntch of Baldricks at TDC have been hatching their cunning plans with no-one to peel the wool off the poor, illiterate rest-of-our's eyes.
Welcome Back xx

Anonymous said...

I live next to the train line directly below the glideslope to runway 28. The fnukcing trains make a hell of a racket - to such an extent that I am unaware of any planes coming in for landings or taking off. Maybe i should write to the council and tell them to stop the trains from running after 6pm because it really bothers me

Anonymous said...

So doesn't live here, doesn't want the occasional night flights at Manston but prepared to live in one of the noisiest cities in the world with one of the biggest airports to the west and city airport to the east. How does that work?