Friday 8 July 2016

Manston comment on the TDC website done

I fought with the TDC planning website and eventually won

Mr Michael Child,
You have been sent this email because you or somebody else has submitted a comment on a Planning Application to your local authority using your email address. A summary of your comments is provided below.
Comments were submitted at 3:36 PM on 08 Jul 2016 from Mr Michael Child.
Application Summary
Address:Manston Airport Manston Road Manston RAMSGATE Kent
Proposal:Comprehensive redevelopment of the site involving the demolition of existing buildings and structures and removal of hard standing and associated infrastructure, and provision of mixed use development. Application submitted in hybrid form (part-outline and part-detailed). The outline element comprises an outline planning application (with all matters except Access reserved for future determination) for the provision of buildings/floorspace for the following uses; Employment (Use Classes B1a-c/B2/B8), Residential (Use Classes C3/C2), Retail (Use Classes A1-A5), Education and other non-residential institutions (Use Class D1), Sport and Recreation (Use Class D2), Hotel (Use Class C1), Open space/landscaping (including outdoor sport/recreation facilities), Car Parking, Infrastructure (including roads and utilities), Site preparation and other associated works. The full/detailed element of the application comprises; change of use of retained existing buildings, Development of Phase 1 comprising four industrial units (Use Class B1c/B2/B8) with ancillary car parking and associated infrastructure, Access.
Case Officer:Iain Livingstone
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Customer Details
Name:Mr Michael Child
Email:michaelchild@aol.com
Address:72 King Street, RAMSGATE, Kent CT11 8NY

Comments Details
Commenter Type:Member of the Public
Stance:Customer made comments in support of the Planning Application
Reasons for comment:- Other - give details 
Comments:Please note that I have had considerable difficulties with the council's planning application site, detailed first.

1 There is no date by which comments have to be received, of the various dates that have been published in social media, today's date 8th July 2016 seemed the most common, although it doesn't appear on the important dates page https://planning.thanet.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=dates&keyVal=O5Z2F2QE00300 in the end I had to phone the council - which took about a quarter of an hour of waiting - and got confirmation that comments have to be in by midnight tonight.

2 The documents, 404 at the time of writing are not numbered, making it very nearly impossible to work out which ones you have opened and read.

3 The site times out or just becomes unavailable unexpectedly.

I am supporting this application based entirely on its own merit, making the assumption that the council has failed to find an airport operator to partner it in a cpo and therefore has no other viable future for the Manston site.

The only other possibility on the table appears to be the DCO, at the pre application stage, being made to the DFT by the American real-estate broker already rejected by the council and therefore likely to be rejected by the DFT for similar reasons.

The published (uk gov planning website) remit being:- The upgrade and reopening of Manston Airport primarily as a cargo airport, with some passenger services, with a capacity of at least 12,000 air cargo movements per year.

My understanding is that in the unlikely event that the DCO were to proceed approval of this application would have little or no effect on the DCO.

While I have consistently supported a regional airport at Manston I consider that an airfreight hub would detrimental to Thanet, both economically and environmentally. Looking at many of the other comments here there seems to be a perception that this is a decision between an airport and no airport. In reality within the remit of Thanet's local planning this appears to be a decision between the site owners plans and continuing with a disused site while waiting for unlikely alternatives outside of the council's gift.

Here in Thanet, where often past potential investors have been poorly assessed by the council, leaving various undeveloped sites, Pleasurama being an example, any developer's track record is of primary importance.

In this case the applicant has good local track record and already own Sandwich Discovery Park, providing employment for around 2,000 local people.

In terms of the main aspects of the application that are my reasons for supporting it, they are:-

85,000 square meters of manufacturing space aiming to provide 2,000 skilled jobs.

2,500 houses (this needs to be taken within the government remit that TDC has to find land for just under 16,000 homes).

Land and funding for two primary schools and funding for secondary school pupils.

East Kent Sports.

I also note that there is also scope within the application for application for community facilities such as a GP surgery, community centre and local shops.

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