Just to set the record straight, neither Thanet District Council or the
ruling Labour Group are in favour of a CPO of Manston Airport.
It has
been suggested to us by a local MP, and therefore we feel obliged to
examine it as a possibility. Until the airport closed, our position was
one of support for the airport as a local employer but we were against
environmentally damaging night flights. We note that of the three
reasons given for closure - loss of BA freight contract, loss of Ryan Air
contract and the Government review of south east airports - none of them
involved night flights. We suggested extension of the enterprise zone
to cover the airport as something Government could do to help stimulate
activity. The airport is now closed, and in my opinion unlikely to open
again. As the local planning authority we await notification of the
owner's plans.
We have already received a suggestion for housing on
the northern grass next to the airport. We received this long before
talk of closure. This application will be judged along with many other
suggestions for potential housing sites and may or may not form part of
the next stage of the Local Plan Preferred Options draft that we will be
consulting on shortly. That draft will suggest how best to meet our
calculation that we will require sites for 11,500 houses over the next
20 years, only half of which can be found within the existing urban
boundary.
77 comments:
So it sounds as though IJ may have to eat her words re: no housing.
Read it and weep' all that supported Manston
Well, as far as I'm aware, the only indication of what Iris thinks has come from Roger Gale's statement. So, are we to believe Roger the Dodger? Has he misquoted or misconstrued IJ? Is she keeping her powder dry? Or is this statement from Cllr Green the official line? Dunno!
Why do we need 11,500 new houses ? where are all these people going to work, go to school and fly on there holidays from ? how many new houses were built in the last 20 years ?
If we need 11,500 houses, where are those potential occupants at the moment? On the streets, or a twinkle in somebody's eye.
If the Labour Group were proposing a CPO for the airport, the Tories would be in full battle mode; screaming from the rooftops about waste of public money. Here we have a Tory, making the plainly ludicrous suggestion that the taxpayer should buy a loss-making airport; which, by the way, is shut and has no licence. The level of desperation would be laughable if it weren't so serious. Did he make this much fuss when Pfizer left?
What then? Does he expect the taxpayer to pay to get the licence reinstated and to pay the millions it costs to run the airport each year? I don't think it's good enough for the Labour lot to say that they have to examine this proposal, unless it contains some credible notion of what would happen AFTER the council has bought it. If the notion is that TDC should buy it only to sell at cost price to another bunch of property sharks, what's the point?
This proposal really ought to be filed in the wastepaper basket, and councillors should be spending their time on planning for the future, not wasting their time poring over Gale's failed dreams.
Planning permission already in prior to closure of the airport. It is obvious now why the airport was bought by the Scots woman,never any intention of running the airport. Of course planning permission will be granted and she will make more millions. At the very least the council should make a cpo and then think about things build the houses themselves
and plan Thanet New Town with some decent roads.
They aren't
They will no doubt be unemployed DFI'ss caught by the housing benefits cap
When will the council discuss the aquifer and removal of monitors
TDC should do a CPO of Manston Airport then sell it to Riveroak who would run it as an Logistic centre airport and do a better job at it then the past two owners. There should be no homes built at Manston!!!
Remember you work for the people of Thanet/Kent not what you want.
I would be asking do we tear up grade 1 agricultural land when we have a thumping big brown field site. We are an island (technically) so land is not at a premium for public open space let alone feed ourselves. The underground aquifers are safer now then they ever were now that the Elephant in the room has left. Lets move on and get the best deal for us and then the current owners. Its a pity that the electorate fail to get involved with local planning then they might come from a more knowledge base than a hysterical base?
TDC had been told too by the Coalition 6:39.
Political intrigue (I'm being polite here) at it's best! Who to believe?
What ever lines their pockets. Most countries call it mafia we call them councillors n mps. throw the towel in. democracy my arse in uk
So night flights are environmentally damaging. As opposed to flights during daylight hours. What tosh. What we, the people, need is support from OUR politicians to do whats right for US. NOT what YOU think WE want. You should havr pushed though night flights as it would have benefited this corner of the world. Man up, grow a pair, and do whats right for Thanet. Simple.
That draft will suggest how best to meet our calculation that we will require sites for 11,500 houses over the next 20 years, only half of which can be found within the existing urban boundary.
Its obvious to all that the airport was to close to make way for housing but this housing will not be for local people but for people coming from London.
Like the development on Westwood X
which was not a brown field site. I think the councillors on TDC who supported the closure of Manston and the loss of employment to the area, as it is not just the airports closure but all the other companies that depended on Manston.
Come the next local elections the population of Thanet will be reminded of who did what.
As the LGA recently said that TDC council is Toxic and your snide remarks adds to the toxic mix maybe you should reconsider your position, I voted for you but I will not in the future.
With general/locals elections next year, I would of thought Labour would want to stay in power but as a large section of Thanet population want the airport to stay an airport surely if this is Labour stance they will lose next year and Thanet South will get a UKIP MP.
Councillor Green is anti airport he complete arse, he had better make preparations for when he loses his seat all that spare time he have.
Cpo then sell to riveroak who offered asking price already
I think councillors are all in it for themselves!! TDC is far too corrupt, they forget they work on our best interests not ours. Roger Gale did quote IJ as she said on meridian, there will be no houses built there. I am sure I am not the only one who heard that.
IJ on meridian said there will be no houses
Guess who has just lost his seat next election....fool!! Hope your leader does not read this, as this is not her views. If any labour person votes against the Airport, I will never vote for them ever again
Well thanks for the conservative/ukip/racist comments. We will be glad to vote labour in the next election as will all that see the alternative would be a CPO costing £1,000,000s to the tax payer with no benefit. I'm very glad to be a labour voter. I hope that people that vote right or far right know that Manston was used as an airfield against a far right party lots of very brave people died to stop that sort of sh*t being spoken in the houses of parliament.
7:19 - what language is this ?
I would like to point out i am what you call a dfl, But i sold my house and relocated to Ramsgate as i believed it was a nice place to retire, i also support Manston Airport ! We are not all on benefits from London, anyway you have your fair share in this district ! Rant over.
hmmm now im scared tbh Iris says publicly she wants airport back but what will she say behind closed doors when AG comes down for meeting will she say we buy land for houses and iris and David Green work together to get it or will she say she wants airport open along with us public backing her hmmm I'm scared now and not to sure who to trust now and allot of them are labour members that i don't trust at the moment Keith have you been invited to the meeting or some one else we trust going to meeting ?
oh and by the way we never had a BA contract and also we never lost the Ryanair Contract they had problems in 2010 over the EU regulations having to refund alot custommers over the iceland volcano that went of and stopped all EU flights and that damaged them big time and had to cut back
so there is some wrong facts there and same not fault of Manston airport
Just hope Iris Jonhson sees this blog not having one of your own Labour members backing you up cant be that good either ?
If Gloag can ride rough shod over everyone at the moment she will do it in the future.
Despite the closure of the airport the lies keep coming, loss of the BA contract?? There never was a BA contract, during a cargo conference Early 2013 BA explained that there was less than a 5% chance they will move from Stansted, Manston was never an option. Ryan Air approached several airports regarding new routes and never committed or intimated they would use Manston. So stop the lies by saying the airport lost contracts, this is all smoke and mirrors to justify closure.
The site will be houses, Gloag will force her way through just as her track record proves.
1.The Labour group opposed night flights for all the right reasons and to protect the residents of Ramsgate and the local environment.
2. Night flights more damaging than daytime flights to the environment? Yes, as all the scientific evidence demonstrates. Maybe read it?
3. The Labour group supported Manston to the bitter end in terms of any potential for it to be a viable airport.
4. Ann Gloag has a history of selling off peripheral brownfield sites attached to airports and to be in discussion with any council about this is not evidence of anything suspicious.
5. When Charles Buchanan at Manston organised the KLM deal the alleged night flight ban posed no problem - a nighttime slot was used up until KLM pulled out. The truth is there was never a queue of operators wanting night time slots.
6. A CPO on Manston is not what our elected council should be doing. Manston has soaked up more public funds than any privately owned business should and it is time to call it a day.
7. Politicians appear to be running scared of UKIP and trying to outdo each other in the 'I tried harder than you to save Manston' which is why I applaud the honesty of this statement from Labour even though I'm sure they know it will be be deeply unpopular in some quarters.
I laugh when people complain that the airport did not lose such and such a contract, it just never won it in the first place. Do they not see what they are saying ie. that it was never good enough to win a contract in the first place? Makes me laugh it does.
I wonder if night flights are environmentally damaging, as Cllr Green lives under the flight path.
Just check Tdc. website.
If Labour can forget that ridiculous airport and support Ann Gloag then they've won my vote.
I don't know where the pride in Thanet has gone!
We seem to have been ruined by various corrupt Thanet Councillors
and nobody seems to care any more!
Doom and gloom all over the place.
We had a Port, now closed. We had an Airport, now closed. We had a couple of engaging High Streets, now closed down except for afew decrpit shops amongst fewer good ones.
Cliftonville was the pride of Thanet, look at what our Council has now allowed to happen to it.
I give up totally on them, I pay my Council Tax, but its money totally wasted.
I will be voting for UKIP, as it is my belief that they are the only Party willing enough to take on problems that other Parties simply ignore and show NO interest in.
OK so Thanet Council will purchase the former airfield, lease it to some American firm (who wont even name the so called aviation logistics hub they are involved in)in the hope that they will reverse 15 years of history and actually make some money...what could possibly go wrong??
Marksman
I have stopped commenting on Red Roge's latest rambling. Honestly when you get a Tory supporting state purchase of a loss making business and requesting that Government direct commercial flights to his favoured airport it is quite beyond satire.
Marksman
I predict that Roger Gale will become much quieter after Thursday (EU Elections)and stop spouting populist stuff about save Manston
I feel for the hundred people that lost their jobs. But let's be honest. It's not a viable airport. Gale has been promising it could be the Next Big Thing since he got into power and people have fallen for it. The cult of Manston is massive. Gale has been using it as a way to win an election. UKIP's proposal is beyond a joke. Iris is just winning votes saying "no houses" - there is little she can actually do to prevent it. David's comments are some of the only honest ones on this issue. TDC can't afford to CPO the site! It's yet another pipe dream. At times, Facebook can be it's own worst enemy, creating the cult of Manston. Build the houses. Build the schools. Build an Ikea. Progress please!
Progress would be a few more jail sentences and a review of the pollution. Both parties support an airport even on the aquifer?
HAs anyone else seen Gloag's entry in wikipedia has been vandalised by the Manston lot?
Probably something to do with that cock Peter Checksfield.
Why do they hate Gloag? Wiggins and Eujet and Kcc and Klm and infratil all cancelled Manston too.
Why are the independents putting Iris in power? Everet for example should not be in the Cabinet
TDCshould work with Ann Gloag to achieve the best out come when its developed an earlier manstonite, said weres the jobs wrre do those people live now, why do we need homes, school places doctors, thats thevidea behind the development, you plan it so it has a surgery, a school or two, the people do not currently live on the streets they will move here from other areas, thanet is full of employers and the ones that do not work here will do what the rest do daily anc travel. Work with gloag not against her or it will cost TDC and the tax payers of thanet dearly.
The cult of manston 9.09pm. A great way to describe the political hysteria around Manston!
Is there anything in the Trade Descriptions act we can use to halt politicians calling it an airfield? It's now just a field.
Perhaps your acronym for the field should now have letters added for 'The Field Formally Known As RAF....' etc etc
Idea, why don't all these pro Manston must be an airport mob, all 200 of them, club together mortgage there homes and or use there savings, get a loan and buy it from Gloag, this is not a far fetched idea, you could form a co operative, and run it, and all the ideas you have can be realised. its easy isn't it, isn't it? not that confident after all when you realise that as owners and share holders there are daily huge on going running costs, then the company will have to be in profit all the time so you are not forever running to banks to subsidise it, then HMRC may look into why a business losing money is not being restructured or wound up, and also bear in mind any shareholder no matter who and how wealthy, will definitely want there money back and dividends, not easy when there are no profits. have a go though, don't let any of that stop you, cause its easy and we keep a local airport.
Is this DG's view point, or The entire cabinet? no official statement.
There is no democracy in business only right decisions and wrong ones, sorry but Gloags decision and alleged future plans for the site, are right. if you bring feelings, sentiment, and public opinion into what has happened, you are seriously on the wrong path. business is business, and the old airport was a business, a bad one. now the site has a chance to become something functional, progressive, and of real benefit to the growth of the area now and for the next 20 years, providing jobs in construction, and business and homes there after with all the economic gains that will bring.
I think all you anti Manston people are forgetting 1 thing. She had no intentions of making the airport work! She bought it for £1 but can sell the land for housing for tens of millions. I think that is what is upsetting people more, the fact that she has gone there with the view that she can ruin the local economy for her own personal gain, that's what stinks! I hope she is never allowed to develop the land for anything other than commercial use!
Hopefully in addition to the houses, schools, doctors surgeries etc etc, there will also be a new station to whisk everyone to London to work and also people from London to spend their hard earned cash in Ramsgate. With a fast train link getting to Heathrow or Gatwick will be quicker too. What Ramsgate really needs is to re establish the ferry to Bolougne or Calais so we can get to the continent quickly
Surely David Green's statement should be that the ruling Labour group do not support a CPO, not that the whole council do not, or are Labour so arrogant that the views of the other elected councillors are irrelevant.
What Cllr Green should remember is that Labour are a minority administration at TDC and do not represent the majority of Thanet voters.
Gale raising a CPO for TDC to buy and run the airport is idiotic waste.
TDC running an airport to prop up a few jobs? Are they/we still funding the Port and those jobs?
lets have winter sports centre and surf wave machine like the one on tv last night plus ice rink big enough to use for curling giant swimming pool diving pool and all maybe its just a pipe dream but as good as any already spoke about and still room for lots of houses for the london councils to dump the down and out on us
Great to have Labour councillors giving a rational appraisal of the situation. The Tories have quickly come out in favour of a CPO but when can we expect to hear details of what a CPO might entail i.e. costs, funding, management, business plans, etc.? Given TDC's reputation in their business dealings (TransEuropa, SFP Ventures, Rank, etc.) where they've consistently been shown to be out of their depth, I'd like to see some substance and reassurance that some due diligence is being observed instead of just dancing to Gale/Sandys' tune.
I see the majority, who Peter Checksfield would have us believe support him, managed to drum up 40 people for their protest at Thanet Council offices this afternoon.
Back into your politcal UKIP box 3:06
10:13 how is she ruining the local economy then?
Most of the income goes out of Thanet via Westwood Cross, so come on show us the financial spreadsheets to substantiate your Thesis?
It was not wholly purchased for £1.00 get your facts right.
As a member of the Cabinet Advisory Group, currently dealing with the construction of the local plan, I can confirm that the comment posted by Cllr David Green is in every detail accurate. Indeed if Infratil had wanted scheduled night flights all they had to do was give TDC 6months prior notice, as they had agreed to do in the 106 agreement. They did not.
May I suggest that the Manston supporters have been tinkering with Mrs Gloag's Wikipedia entry? It is now riddled with bias loaded words like "token sum", "forced" , "going concern", "large crowd of well-wishers". Does anyone reading his have a Wikipedia admin rights?
On 29 November 2013 Ann Gloag took ownership of Kent International Airport, also known as Manston Airport for the token sum of £1. Gloag's co-director is Pauline Bradley,[6] a corporate lawyer and former head of joint ventures at Bank of Scotland, described by the Scottish Herald as 'one of Scotland's most powerful women'.[7]
Manston is one of the oldest airfields in the UK with history dating back to the First World War. Despite assurances to staff and public regarding long term investment in the airport[8] management announced a consultation on closure in April 2014. The uncertainty this created forced the flight operators who were using Manston to leave the airport, notably KLM airlines who had been running a twice daily service to Amsterdam Schiphol. A number of bids were forthcoming during the consultation period to buy the airport as a going concern,[9] but on 15 May 2014 the airport was closed with the loss of 144 jobs in the airport and an unknown number in the surrounding area. Ann Gloag did not appear publicly to give any reason for the airports closure or her refusal to sell the business as a going concern. The trade Union Unite said it would challenge the way the 'consultation' on closure was conducted.[10] Sir Roger Gale, MP for Thanet North described Gloag's actions as an act of 'corporate vandalism'.[4] On the final day the staff left the terminal building,to be met by a large crowd of well-wishers, TV crews, press, Sir Roger Gale MP, and members of the pressure group 'Save Manston' and 'Why Not Manston', who have said publicly that they will continue their campaign to reopen the airport and oppose any alternative use put forward by Gloag's companies. The Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron, made a public statement in the Houses of Parliament in support of Manston on 14 May 2014.[11] Following the closure Sir Roger Gale called for a Compulsory purchase order to be imposed in order to "remove the airport from the hands of those who clearly have other objectives".[12]
I just love the notion that all would be well if we just sold it to Riveroak. I remember the hopelessly naïve pro-Manston brigade hyping up Ann Gloag as Thanet's great saviour when she bought it last year. These idiots are typical of the people who have ruined Thanet over the last 30 years. A businessman in a shiny suit turns up, waves a wad of cash at them, and they all jump into bed with him without doing any of the proper due diligence checks first. After disastrous financial mistakes with Pleasurama and the Transeuropa, TDC needs to move carefully and slowly and needs to listen to those who urge caution.
How many anti-Manston protesters were there today? I couldn't see any.
Why would an anti-Manston person turn up - the pro Manston group are doing our magnificent task admirably....Pro Manston group my a**e
to all the pro Manston lot, this blog allows opinion of all no matter there position, why don't you lot stop deleting text on your sites which do not favour Manston. and if there were anti Manston people gathering at TDC, there would be more than the 40 you lot took.
No 7.16, in the same way you wouldn't see any Spurs fans at an Arsenal game. I noticed the flag-waver was a toddler, no doubt anxious to explain the logic behind the council bailing out a failed airport.
Ann Gloag, has closed the airport which is something the other previous owners might of done, if they wanted to try and recover some costs, they could not get away quick enough, another point, the prime minister is not supporting Manston as continually reported by the Manston mob, do not leave out the convenient bits as it suits, he said it was up to Gloag what she does with it, it is her business, her land, although he would have encouraged a sale, the government cannot and will not interfere, however you want TDC to invest in a loos making organisation even if its just to sell on, great were saved another knight in shining armour, but what happens when the asset stripping yaks have enough in 3 months, 9 months, 18 months and decide to close and build, will you start all this crap up again? idiots. so are the Council if they listen to you, there will be uproar, to spend money it doesn't have on that is no less than irresponsible of all involved. they do say however in the deep south 9of America) YOU CAN'T TEACH STUPID.
Perhaps a better comparison than a sports match 8:01: Do socialists turn up at UKIP meetings?
Funny old world. The pro-Manston loonies hold meetings and marches, collect a petition of thousands of signatures, lobby and pester anybody with money and harass TDC to issue a CPO. The No Night Flights campaigners maintain a dignified silence. The airport shuts and the licence is revoked.
It seems to me there is a valuable lesson for all children. You don't get your own way by screaming, shouting and stamping your feet. If any pro-airport loonies are prepared to cough up the money I'd be happy to do a seminar on working the system and getting your own way. It's a bit late for the airport but it might be of use next time you want to dump your minority viewpoint on the local population.
10:38, you have been screaming and shouting about Manston and pollution for as long as most of us can remember. Seems you do not take your own advice.
As for the dignified silence, I know a couple of people who opposed night flights, but not the airport, who have joined the save Manston campaign.
For everyone's information, I've held back a few very similar-looking anti-Manston comments here for the sake of balance. To my eyes, they seem to be from the same pen (or keyboard), and I don't think it's fair for one person to swamp this with their obsessive single-mindedness.
I'm happy to entertain lots of different views here, but the point is they have to be different, not just spam-like repetition of the same thing over and over again. Your co-operation is appreciated!
Does anyone have an estimate of what a CPO would cost TDC and how long it would take?
I know TDC had a CPO on Dreamland granted last year and that took ages with various court appeals but have TDC yet agreed a price and completed the purchase?
Why did a light aircraft seem to be landing at manston yesterday?
Was it a pilot who forgot?
11:34, not according to KM On-line they haven't. At last night's meeting, contrary to Cllr Green's statement of no intention, the council expressed a willingness to look into the feasibility of a CPO, but only after first meeting with Ann Gloag. Seems they want to find a away forward with the present owner if possible.
12.54 where is the money coming from?
No aircraft have landed since last Thursday. A few have flown down the runway or overhead and there is nothing wrong in doing that. Even an RAF Chinook yesterday.
until the scotish lady speaks to all of thanet about her plans its no good pre guessing whats it will be could still be used for some types of flying the air sea rescue unit should still be able to set up a base on what the MOD still own,lets all just wait and see all will be revaeled soon???
Got a lead line, have the backing of 10's of thousands of people who do not wish there Council to make the gravest error of them all, and placing its and its residents at huge risk, we just need someone to start a campaign, a blog or Facebook for people to sign a petiotion on the following, LET MANSTON GO, NO CPO.
Not bad for a weekend, what do you think, who will start this off using the phrase as a banner?
I heard testing will begin on Tuesday morning the small hours for shail gas, think of what the land would be worth then.
Fracking in chalk ... I don't think so!!!
There will be no CPO.
Gale will step down before the 2015 election rather than face a loss to Ukip.
Who am I you may wonder? I'm the Anon who told you all, both pro and anti airport, to the exact minute, when the CAA Licence was going to expire.
Development plans and economic development plans are a live document which are designed to be changed with changes to the area, the manston mob talk crap.
Post a Comment