Petitions

We keep being told that a petition to “save” Manston airport was submitted to TDC with more than 8,000 signatures. It is also claimed that a petition of over 26,000 signatures was delivered to Downing Street. It’s really hard to get TDC to spell out the truth about the validity of the petitions that were submitted to the Council. Here’s what we know so far.

On 10th July two petitions were discussed by TDC. The Council report about them says:

2.1 An Epetition organised by Oscar Maynard (Save Manston Airport Group) has been signed by 3361 persons. The petition prayer reads:

“We the undersigned petition the council to make a compulsory purchase of Manston, Kent’s International Airport. We would also like Thanet District Council to look into the possibility of members of the public to buy bonds into this purchase."

2.2 In addition to the 3,361 persons who have signed the Epetition, 4,330 persons have validly signed a paper petition containing the same petition prayer as the Epetition. Officers cannot check whether these two sets of signatures “duplicate” any signatories, as those who have signed the paper petition have not always given a full first name and surname, so therefore it is not possible to add them together to determine a “total” number persons signing the petition.

We asked TDC what checks were done on the petitions. TDC’s reply on 22nd July said that no check of the residential addresses of petitioners was undertaken. We have a detailed FOIA request about this and TDC’s answer.

Given that the two petitions cannot validly be added together, it looks as if there was a petition with a maximum of 4,330 signatures which have not been checked in any way. We know from reading comments on the various Save Manston sites that some people have signed more than once and that some people live elsewhere in the UK or abroad, so the petition asking TDC to CPO Manston is not a strongly local one. Interestingly, the petition does not ask TDC to find an indemnity partner to acquire the airport from TDC following a CPO – it asks the Council to CPO the airport and to investigate the possibility of a public bonds issue.

We have asked Downing Street about the 26,000 signature petition. They have no trace of it, as it has been "lost" in its travels between government departments.

No Nightie Flights!

This is the film of the demonstration outside Thanet Council on May 17th by the campaigners against night flights at Manston airport. They argue that night flights disturb their sleep. Hence the bed and the night attire!

A Thanet Watch report. The campaigners against night flying at Manston airport demonstrate outside Thanet District Council - in their nighties! They want to show how night flights disturb the sleep of everyone under the flight path into the airport.

Courtesy of the excellent people of Thanet Watch.

One hundred campaigners against night flights at Manston airport turned out to present the council with a petition of 2,800 names – wearing just their nighties. The No To Nightie Flighties protest took place on Thursday at Thanet council's Cecil Square offices in Margate.

The petition were handed to Labour councillors by former Dr Who actress Janet Fielding. The names, gathered by the No Night Flights group, were submitted ahead of this week's Thanet council vote on whether to support plans for up to eight flights between 11pm and 7am at Manston airport.

Ms Fielding said:

"We're here to offer our support to the council for next week's crucial meeting to vote against allowing night flights at Manston. Along with the health and environmental issues surrounding night flights, there are potentially disastrous consequences for Ramsgate's recovering tourism industry which needs to be protected. Who will want to stay in a hotel with planes flying over all night? This needs to be investigated in full."

The petition and the submission for the night flights, made by the owners of Manston airport, will be discussed at an extraordinary council meeting on Manston Airport Night Time Flying Policy on Thursday. Thanet council's Labour cabinet has already voted not to support night flights, which airport owners Infratil claim are vital for the future of the airport.

thisiskent 22nd May 2012

Voice of dissent

As you asked so nicely...

Here's a comment from Signatory 46 on the Petition Against Night Flights:

Why are you people always against any development at Manston. Do you really believe that there would be 103,800 flights a year! Perhaps you should get back to the real world and consider the reality of the position of the airport compared to Gatwick, Heathrow or Stanstead which are not stuck out on a limb like Manston. If you are so against any development at Manston which as you know has been there for many years, you should have given this consideration before moving into the area knowing that the airport was there. Surely one must realise that airports generate aircraft (after all thats what they are there for). I would be pleased to see this published for people to read and maybe generate some common sense in this matter.
Anon 19/6/2009

• Who are these "you people" that I am being swept up with?
• I'm not against "any development". This is a petition against night flights. End-of-life jumbo jets laden with vegetables roaring over Thanet Earth into the Garden of England in the small hours.
• As stated in their Draft Master Plan, 103,800 flights a year is a commercial strategic goal for Infratil. Infratil pay their staff to deliver that strategy. Everyone at Manston will be working towards those numbers, because that's their job. Success = 103,800 flights a year. Here in the real world, that's a very ambitious target, some might say unrealistic or unachievable. Nonetheless, it's worth reflecting on the implications.
• I have a clear picture of Manston's geography. Several, in fact. Obviously, it is well-placed to be a military airbase (being close to Europe) but poorly placed to be a commercial airport (being far from much of Britain). The significance of location, location, location has escaped every purchaser to date.
• I'm not against "any development". Still.
• I know Manston has been there for years. In all the time that Manston has existed, there has never been anything like the volume of traffic that Infratil are aiming for.
• We all understand about airports and aircraft, just as we all understand about roads and cars. What Infratil are proposing to do at Manston is like turning a residential street into a motorway. It's still a road. It's still got cars on it - 'that's what roads are for'. But you'll notice the difference if you live anywhere near it.

I am happy to publish your comment, in the hope that common sense breaks out all over. Common Sense - love the stuff! Can't get enough of it.
===
Sign the petition against night flights.

WriteToThem.com

Love letters straight from the heart

The nice people at Airport Watch have introduced me to a cracking little site called WriteToThem. Just bash in your post code, and you get instant email links to all your District and County Councillors, MP, and MEPs. This makes it a doddle to congratulate your elected representatives on the skill and wisdom of their approach to anything...

Noise pollution, an ever-growing sound footprint, air pollution, constantly circling training flights, aquifer contamination, increased use of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, failing to meet Kyoto targets, climate change acceleration, rising sea levels, disrupted school lessons, sleeplessness-induced hypertension, reduced quality of life, falling property prices, reduction in tourism, loss of jobs in the hospitality industries, increase in HGV road traffic, damage to local democracy, unseemly influence of trans-national businesses, inappropriate use of public funds, sub-standard monitoring, inadequate fines, unrealistic forecasts, broken promises, rushed and begrudging consultation...

Or you might not be writing about Manston.