Dear Editor,
We welcome news that the owners of the former Manston Airport will soon be submitting a planning application for a mixed commercial and residential development on the site (Airport Owners Push On Gazette November 27th ). The long drawn-out saga of the airport Compulsory Purchase Order has, in our view, held back progress on what is one of the most important opportunities in a generation to secure investment, jobs, and training for Thanet.
As the Gazette regularly reports, Thanet is one of the most deprived areas in the country. It has one of the highest rates of unemployment, especially amongst young people, a larger than average dependency on in- and out- of-work state benefits, the lowest average wages in south east England and a shamefully poor record of educational attainment. The development of the former Manston Airport site and further expansion of Discovery Park, coupled with plans to transform Ramsgate’s Harbour and Port into a 21st century Marina and leisure destination will, in our opinion, bring about a major transformation of Thanet’s social and economic fortunes.
However, we are not uncritical cheerleaders for Messrs Mallon, Cartner and Musgrave and will judge them by their actions. We believe that, in order to be sustainable and continue to generate jobs into the future, any development of the site must meet the highest eco-standards utilising micro-generation, water re-use, and insulation technologies. We would also hope to see part of the site used for leisure, nature conservancy and food growing purposes, and substantial tree planting. To ensure that jobs at the site are accessible to local people, excellent public transport links to the Thanet towns are extremely important. We remain concerned that this crucial step may be neglected in favour of an expensive, environmentally damaging and entirely unnecessary Parkway station.
Yours sincerely
Tricia Hartley (secretary), Ian Driver (co-ordinator) Thanet Greens
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