Herne Bay is 'the fall guy' for night flights

Clipping: thisiskent

HERNE Bay will be getting the worst of the night-flights deal being thrashed out at Manston, campaigners have warned. Kent International Airport owner Infratil is asking Thanet District Council to overturn the ban on regular night flying and let up to six cargo planes a night flying directly over Herne Bay. Manston claims development of passenger services will be possible only if the existing freight business is successful. And, to attract more freight, it must be able to schedule planes to land and take off at night.

The night flights will be fully laden cargo aircraft, which are usually older, louder planes. Every plane will count towards the total annual noise quota for the airport, and planes louder than the agreed maximum will be fined £1,000. Currently, flights over a set noise level which land of take-off at Manston after 11pm or before 6am are not allowed. If flights do happen, the carrier is liable for a £1,000 fine. Campaigner Phil Rose from Herne Bay is monitoring every Manston move. He said:

"What makes me angry is that Herne Bay is being set up as the fall guy and people need to know. Flights over Herne Bay will only count as being half as loud as they actually are, and pilots who break the rules, by being too loud or too low, will only get fined half as much. Manston will put all the planes they can over us, and we'll get the loudest. The impact on Herne Bay will be massive, and it will be all pain, no gain. The airport wants to move from two night flights a week to an average of 7.7 night flights per night – nearly a month's worth of noise every night. These old Boeing 747 cargo freighters sound like a pneumatic drill at full throttle seven metres away."

Bay city councillor Ron Flaherty, a former member of Kent International Airport consultative committee, said: "We are calling on Canterbury City Council officers to arrange a public meeting to hear what our residents have to say about this.

"It is clearly a most important issue to everyone who lives under the flight path. The last time this came up, Thanet District Council voted to have night flights but in a westerly direction – over Herne Bay. We must not be caught unawares this time."

He has called for council chief executive Colin Carmichael to chair the meeting. Campaigners are angry that meetings are being held in Thanet, but not Herne Bay. Paul Twyman, chairman of Kent International Airport, says he will now attend a meeting in Herne Bay. Those concerned about the plan can visit www.nonightflights.info to sign the online petition.

By jan thom

British Airways reject Manston airport

SLEEPERS can rest easy for awhile after British Airways shelved plans to fly noisy cargo planes over the area. Complaints flooded in after the airline was given the go ahead to fly 11 planes out of Kent International Airport at Manston and across Herne Bay, Tankerton and Chestfield the town between 6am and 11.30pm every day. Canterbury City Council was given just five days to respond to the proposal passed by its Thanet counterparts late last month.

But those fearing sleepless nights breathed a huge sigh of relief this week as BA pulled the plug and announced it had decided to remain at Stansted Airport.

Although pleased with the withdrawal, campaigner Phil Rose, of Beacon Hill, says the issue of planes over Herne Bay should not drop off the radar. He said:

"It's as important as ever, just temporarily less urgent. Obviously the latest announcement is a relief for us all, but airport owners Infratil have invested millions of pounds and will be looking for alternatives. This temporary setback gives us all much-needed breathing space. It is essential that we use this interlude to agree a robust framework which allows Infratil scope for commercial success, while maintaining the quality of life for the residents of Herne Bay. Rather than rushing into this half-cocked, we can work towards a sound and solid "win-win" solution. I am all for the creation of jobs and a boost to the local economy, but not if it sees Herne Bay getting screwed."

Councillors will be briefed by Infratil at a private meeting on Tuesday (March 24). Mr Rose said:

"They need to get an independent flight path expert to attend the meeting. Someone with no axe to grind, who can say whether or not the planes need to go over the town or can go out to sea. It may be that they says it's not possible or practical to over the sea, but we need to make sure Infratil aren't being lazy or greedy."

Agreeing with Mr Rose, Herne Bay councillor Ron Flaherty said:

"All members are determined to investigate thoroughly the possibility of changing the flight paths. A gun was held against the head of the consultative committee when we were given just five days to respond. We knew BA wanted to come to Manston, Infratil were keeping it a secret, and now BA have decided they don't want to come after all. The farce continues."

Speaking after BA's withdrawal, Manston chief executive Matt Clarke said:

"Like any business that bids for a new contract and is unsuccessful, we are obviously disappointed with this news. However, this negotiation was only one of several opportunities we have been pursuing and we are pleased with the level of interest shown by carriers in operating at KIA. The fact that Kent International was considered alongside Stansted shows how far its reputation in the industry has progressed since Infratil acquired it in 2005 and this bodes well for future business."

Clipping: thisiskent By jnurden

Bigger than politics

Herne Bay Area Members Panel, 10th March 2009 

Well, we went, we saw, but I'm not sure we've conquered quite yet.

Everyone paid attention when we gave our speeches, no booing, no rotten tomatoes - excellent behaviour.

Canterbury City Council has a long-standing appointment to meet Infratil in a couple of weeks. Cllr Ron Flaherty (LibDem, Heron ward) called for cross-party, non-political support from all Herne Bay Councillors to press CCC to get an independent expert on flight paths to attend. This expert would be able to spot if/when Infratil dodge, duck, dive or fib.

Cllr Flaherty also pointed out that Paul Twyman (head of the Kent International Airport Consultative Committee, the statutory body overseeing Manston) should attend. I'm absolutely boggled that he isn't automatically invited to everything Manston-related (do any of you, dear readers, have any idea why he isn't?).

Motion carried unanimously.

Hopeful.

Cargo flights fear for Herne Bay

Clipping: thisiskent

Residents face sleepless nights from May as night-time flights are set to soar over Herne Bay and Whitstable from May. Herne Bay town centre and Hampton Pier are on the planned flight path for 11 British Airways cargo carriers and homes in Chestfield and Blean will also be affected. BA has been given the green light for 11 freighter planes to land and take off at Kent International Airport at Manston for an 18-month trial period from 6am to 11.30pm. Canterbury city council was given just one week to respond to the proposal, passed by Thanet Council earlier this month.

A third of the flights are expected to be directed over Herne Bay and Whitstable as the Boeing 747-400s make their way into land. Liberal Democrat councillor Ron Flaherty (Heron) demanded more information about the plans at a council meeting on Thursday. Tory council leader John Gilbey responded by confirming rumours that the previously unnamed international freight operation was British Airways. He said:

"My understanding is that Kent International Airport has been approached to relocate a long haul international freight operation, which I can confirm is British Airways, to Manston from its existing base. The proposal envisages an 18 month period of operation with three monthly review, at the conclusion of which a prospective night time flying policy, covering the period of 2010 to 2018 can be put into place."

As the flights will affect residents in the Canterbury district Cllr Flaherty, a former member of Kent International Airport Consultative Committee, is angry at the lack of consultation.

"I'm not happy about this, as many as a third of these proposed flights could come over us."

He is also annoyed that the city council was given less than a week to respond to the plans from airport owners Infratil, adding:

"Infratil threw this down with only five days notice and would not disclose who the airline was. I don't understand the rush because British Airways cargo operations have been looking for a new site away from Stansted for years."

Council spokesman Rob Davies said:

"Although we weren't given as much time as we would have liked, we did manage to produce a response in time."

The response listing the city council's concerns was included at the debate in Thanet. The city council's head of regeneration and economic development Ian Brown agreed that the plans would be good for the economy but was concerned about noise levels and their effect on the district:

"This proposal is potentially a major opportunity to generate employment and strengthen East Kent's economic structure. Overall we would expect best possible technology and methods of working to be deployed to minimise the environmental impact of the operations. There is no mention of any changes to noise abatement routes. Our understanding of routes for the preferred approach from the Dover Beacon shows the route passing to the west of Canterbury over Blean, Chestfield, Hampton and Herne Bay. It would be preferable if this route could be modified to mitigate noise over Chestfield or Herne Bay."

Although in theory the airline has permission for more than 2,000 flights a year, only a portion will be scheduled. A spokesman for BA World Cargo said: "British Airways World Cargo is currently in the process of tendering its long haul ground handling operations within the United Kingdom.

"These operations are currently based at Stansted Airport. However, as part of the tender process we are considering a number of different Airport options within the UK."

The owners will brief city councillors on the plans in a private meeting in March. Cllr Flaherty said:

"We have to seize this opportunity to determine whether these flights have to go over our town."

An Infratil spokesman said:

"Canterbury City Council has a permanent representative on the airport's consultative committee which meets monthly. The council also made a submission to us about the plans. The number of flights coming over Herne Bay will really depend on wind direction so it is hard to determine. The town is a fair distance from Manston so planes coming in to land will be at a high enough level where noise should not be a big issue."

By jnurden