contact us

Use the form on the right to contact us.

You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.​


Herne Bay, England, CT6
United Kingdom

Community website for all things Herne Bay (Kent, UK). Covers: The Downs, Herne Bay Museum, Herne Bay Historical Records Society, Herne Bay Pier Trust, Herne Bay in Bloom, East Cliff Neighbourhood Panel, No Night Flights, Manston Airport, Save Hillborough, Kitewood, WEA, Local Plan and much, much more...

No Night Flights

MP calls for compulsory purchase of Manston airport

HBM

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale, and South Thanet MP Laura Sandys, say they have told Thanet District Council that it should consider the option of the buy out. Sir Roger said: 

Sir Roger Gale MP

Sir Roger Gale MP

Laura Sandys and I are of the view, which I have reason to understand is shared by the new Labour Leadership of Thanet District Council and by the Conservative Opposition, that with the closure of the airfield the best way to secure a new future for aviation at Manston will be for a Compulsory Order to be placed upon the site which has, at present, planning consent only as an airport. This is detailed in the very recent draft of the local plan so there should be little difficulty in establishing existing use and thus for the local authority to acquire and then perhaps lease out or sell on the site at a sensible price.
Clearly the council will wish to prepare its own study of options based upon legal advice but the opinion that we have been offered is that a bid to place a CPO on the airfield would succeed and that it could be readily funded. If that is so then it ought to be possible to remove the airport from the hands of those who clearly have other objectives and to restore Manston to its rightful place as part of our airport capacity in the South East.
From the work that has already been done we have good reason to believe that those who wish to re-open the airport and have the capacity to do so have every chance of succeeding where others have seemingly chosen to fail and we hope and expect that TDC`s senior officers, acting on instructions from elected members, will take a very robust line. We have to dispel the impression given, arising from discussions that apparently took place with TDC officers earlier in the year, that housing is a "done deal" and that anything other than airport use is on the agenda. As Iris Johnston has made publicly clear, it is not.

The airport closed on Thursday with the loss of 150 direct jobs. Earlier this month the Thanet Gazette revealed talks had taken place between airport representatives and council officers and members about including plans for 1,000 on Manston's Northern Grass in the Local Plan.

Thanet Gazette 19th May 2014


No Night Flights home page

Manston bid rejected

HBM

Courtesy of the BBC's Mark Norman (@BBCmarknorman) the latest development in the long-dragging saga of Manston's decline and fall:

My reading of this is that Ann Gloag has had enough of showing an interest in any bid pushed under her nose by well-meaning MPs and local dignitaries. I expect she'll now focus on closing the airfield once the consultation period is completed, thus saving herself some £10,000 a day, and concentrate on Plan A - getting the site to make her money. Lots of money.


No Night Flights home page

Someone wants to know if you want night flights

HBM

The Save Manston Airport group are running a poll on their Facebook page to see how many people are for, and against, night flights. Here's the link:

savemanstonairport.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/to-night-flight-or-not-to-night-flight/

They are dissatisfied with the result of the Thanet-wide poll that TDC conducted, and feel that their Facebook thingummy might count for more.

Personally, I attach about as much importance to this kind of poll as I do to horoscopes. But nobody likes to see a "wrong" horoscope.

At the moment, about 80% of voters want scheduled night flights.

But that's because you haven't voted yet...

Go and vote - it's just two clicks.


No Night Flights home page

Manston, elections, and money

HBM

Dennis Franklin is a regular contributor to the IoT Gazette letters page, and sent us this letter to publish in full, just in case the Gazette doesn't...


I know what follows is lengthy, but I am trying to make some important points about Manston, forthcoming elections, and the use of public money. Also, I feel there have been more pro Manston letters published than against, so I hope space can be found for the following:

Astute readers of the Thanet Gazette letters page will realise I am opposed to Manston airport for 2 reasons, one is I am against social injustice. There are 60,000 households in Thanet, and perhaps 10,000 including some who are not in Thanet, who are effected by low flying aircraft creating air and noise pollution, asthma, pulmonary disease, stress and lower life expectancy.

I do not understand why those in favour of the airport, most of whom are not affected this way, think they can bully those who are, into sacrificing their quality of life, and devaluation of their homes, for what? Most of any new jobs will go to outside experts, and its misguided to think it will increase tourism, it won't, not if 50 to 100 aircraft a day fly low over Ramsgate Harbour, which an economist in the Thanet Gazette predicted it will be needed to make Manston viable!

My second objection is that I do not agree public funds i.e. Income and Council Tax money should be used to subsidise private enterprise! I have been in correspondence with UKIP KCC Councillor Roger Latchford on this, because KCC UKIP Councillor Trevor Shonk tried to conceal from me that there was a proposal to build another railway station 1 mile from one at Minster, and one and a half miles from Ramsgate station, purely for the use of Ann Gloag the owner of Manston Airport, at a cost to the public of £10.5 million! I suggested there are more worthy ways to spend £10.5 million of our money, like redeveloping the disused gas works site in Ramsgate for hundreds of social/affordable homes for a start!

Shamefully more or less every local politician from Laura Sandys to Green (sic) Party councillor Ian Driver, want to use public money to subsidise Manston, why? Because they are electioneering for the forthcoming elections, that’s why! Don't be duped, they intend to cynically abandon and sell out the people who live under the flight paths, who will have their lives ruined by low flying aircraft. And would those people involved with Why Not Manston, please note, every attempt to make Manston profitable has failed, even when EU Jet tried bussing people in from Medway!

I agree with Mike Pearce in his article in last week’s Thanet Gazette, it will stick in the craw of those people who lost their jobs due to KCC cut backs, which also reduced funding for road repairs, schools, libraries, social services for young and old etc, only instead to see millions of pounds of public money being poured into private pockets to try and shore up this obsolete airport! If UKIP have their way and bully KCC into coming up with £200 millions of tax payers money to subsidise Manston airport, just to get elected, it will be a travesty!

Finally, will people stop banging on about Manston's glorious military past? The Cold War ended 25 years ago, and I don't remember seeing a single National Serviceman who didn't loathe every wasted minute of it!

Dennis Franklin, Ramsgate


No Night Flights home page

If you live in the Canterbury City Council area...

HBM

There is a campaign afoot to improve the way our Council is run, by making it more democratic.

The current "Leader & Executive" system concentrates power in just a few hands, resulting in decisions (opposing village green applications, the Westgate Towers traffic trial, the Local Plan and so on) that are against the public interest, and even against the wishes of councillors who are outside the central clique.

The Campaign for Democracy in Canterbury District aims to correct this by raising enough signatures on a petition to trigger a referendum calling for our Council to be run on the more democratic committee-based system.

You can do your bit by signing the petition, which you can download here.

Even better - and this really would make a difference - you could help by leafleting your street. Just drop me a line at contactCDCD@gmail.com and I'll bring you a fistful of leaflets.

This is your chance to make a lasting improvement to the way our Council works for you.


No Night Flights home page

Manston closure: press coverage and video clips

HBM

Budget Day 2014 - a good day to bury bad news.

Ann Gloag's timing means that the clock stops ticking for Manston as an airport on 10th May


Manston

Manston's website:

Manston's official press statement:

“Following a meeting with staff at Manston Airport in Kent today, Wednesday 19th March, we can confirm we have commenced a process of consultation over the possible orderly closure of the airport. No further comment will be made until the consultation period with staff has been concluded.”


BBC South East Today

Manston Reaction - Wednesday 19th March 2014


South Thanet MP Laura Sandys

Said she will be fighting to keep the airport alive, following news of its possible closure. Her statement follows the announcement that staff were called to a meeting this morning where it was announced a 45 day consultation would take place with them. Ms Sandys said:

Laura Sandys

Laura Sandys

"This is a great shock to the area and very concerning for the 150 staff. This is a consultation and we now need to ensure that we put a very strong case forward to keep the airport alive. We also need to understand a lot more about what they plan to do with the airport if it was to close.

My thoughts are with the staff who are entering a really unsure period and I know that I and Roger are happy to meet any of the staff at our surgeries. We will be talking to the Minister as soon as possible to ensure that there is ministerial input into this consultation as soon as possible."

IoT Gazette 19 Mar 2014


An unnamed Manston employee

Manston airport closure staff 'consultation'

“We were told this morning, it came as a huge shock. We knew there was going to be some kind of announcement but we thought it would be positive. They said they had been trying to get Ryanair here but the deal had fallen through.

It’s a very sad day for everyone here, we’re devastated. It’s not just a job, once you work at an airport you don’t want to work anywhere else. We have been told that after 45 days it will be closing but up until then it is business as usual but it’s hard to put your heart into it at the moment.”

IoT Gazette 19th Mar 2014


KLM

KLM says it will wait until the employee consultation at Manston Airport is complete before issuing a formal statement. The Dutch airline, which runs a twice-daily flight from Manston to Amsterdam, has operated out of the airport since April last year. A spokesperson for KLM said:

"We have no statement at the moment - we are going to wait for the consultation to take place as the situation is currently not in our hands."

Customers are still able to book flights from Manston to Amsterdam via the KLM website.

IoT Gazette 19th Mar 2014


Clive Hart

Thanet District Council leader Cllr Clive Hart said:

"This is potentially a devastating blow to the local economy with the potential loss of direct and indirect employment in Thanet. The council has been clear that it has supported the future development of the airport.

We have worked with operators to ensure that the economic benefits to the district could be maximised including the council's direct port of entry service and therefore this is very disappointing news."

Kent Online, 19th Mar 2014


Bob Bayford

Cllr Bob Bayford, opposition Conservative leader on Thanet council, said:

"I feel very disappointed. I cannot help feeling that given there is so much pressure on the south east for more runways that it could have had a future. It is a pretty short period in which the new owners have come to the conclusion that it does not have a future."

Kent Online, 19th Mar 2014


The Guardian

Manston airport closure plans put scores of jobs at risk

Staff at Kent airport told 45-day consultation period initiated following daily losses of £10,000 under new owner. Up to 150 jobs have been placed under threat following the announcement that a regional airport could close.

The mostly part-time staff at Manston airport in Kent were told that a 45-day consultation period had begun over its possible closure. It is understood the airport has been suffering losses of £10,000 a day under its new owner, making its long-term future unsustainable. An airport spokesman said:

"Following a meeting with staff at Manston airport in Kent today, Wednesday March 19, we can confirm we have commenced a process of consultation over the possible orderly closure of the airport. No further comment will be made until the consultation period with staff has been concluded."

Scottish businesswoman Ann Gloag, who co-founded the Stagecoach Group, bought Manston airport for £1 last year. She drafted in a team of experts, including Alastair Welch, to help revive its fortunes and various options were explored. These included holding discussions with low-cost airline Ryanair about possibly bringing in new routes to Manston.

But the plans were hit late last year when Ryanair issued its second profits warning in as many months, as it warned it would be hammered by downward pressure on fares. The new owners at Manston had also held out hopes of pursuing opportunities with cargo flights, but they also failed to materialise. The airport will continue to run as normal during the consultation period.

The Guardian 19th Mar 2014


Paul Francis

Grounded: is it the end for Manston airport?

When Manston Airport was sold for £1 last year, new owner Ann Cloag was optimistic about its prospects. In a statement issued at the time, she said:

"Whilst this is a loss making airport, I hope that with the co-operation of our neighbours and the wider community of Kent, the airport partners and staff, we can capitalise on the opportunities available to give Kent the best chance possible of having a successful and vibrant airport."

Just three months on comes an announcement that the airport is consulting on closure.

It is undeniably a big shock and appeared to come out of nowhere. Certainly, neither KCC or Thanet appeared to have had any prior notice. The 150 staff affected were told at a meeting this morning and were understandably dismayed. Thanet has an unenviable reputation as an economic blackspot and jobs are hard to come by.

Various factors contributed to the decision.

The most significant was that talks with Ryanair owner Michael O'Leary about bringing some routes to Manston had come to an end after the operator signalled it had its own financial difficulties. No airport can be sustained on a long-term basis without using its capacity and it is understood that even with the presence of KLM and regular flights to Schipol, it was haemorrhaging money on a daily basis. There would have been no room for sentiment by the consultants commissioned to investigate whether it had a future.

Add in the uncertainty about what role Manston might have had in the aftermath of the Davies Commission and the ongoing issue about the lack of good road connections and its peninsula location and Manston has been battling the odds for a long time.

And it is worth noting that Manston has also had to compete against the increasingly successful Southend Airport, which has become one of the fastest-growing airports in the UK.

This is not the first time Manston has, in its chequered history, faced the threat of closure. But you sense that this time, it is highly unlikely to survive. Given the hard-headed conclusions of the turnaround team brought in to assess its prospects, it is almost inconceivable that someone else could come in to give it a go.

The fact that the airport is consulting staff over closure - rather than putting it on the market - tells its own story. The airport insists that it is not ruling out that possibility but there is already speculation that developers are circling with an interest in developing it for houses, rather than for planes.

This time, it does feel like it is the end for Manston - at least as an airport.

Kent Online's political editor Paul Francis, 19th Mar 2014


No Night Flights home page

Manston now consulting on NOISE

HBM

Ah, the joys of consulting. North-east Kent's favourite airport is obliged to produce a Noise Action Plan for the Government, and we all get to say what we think. As it says on their website:

It is a DEFRA requirement that all UK airports prepare a Noise Action Plan (NAP) based on 2011 noise maps. These regulations are a result of the European Directive commonly known as the Environmental Noise Directive (END).

The NAP considers whether the current noise control measures are sufficient with respect to Manston's operations, and also describes other measures that will be introduced over the coming years to further mitigate the impact of the Airport's operations on the local community.

Bickerdike Allen Partners have been retained by Manston Airport to prepare a Noise Action Plan. In summary this involves the drawing up of a draft NAP for consultation with the Airport's Consultative Committee and the wider public.

The Airport's Draft NAP is now completed and we invite you to view and comment on this document during the 16 week consultation period from 14 March to 4 July 2014. Following consultation the plan will be finalised and submitted to the Government.

So Manston have called in their old pals from Bickerdike Allen Partners to conjure up a report for them. Yes, it's the very same Bickerdike Allen Partners who were caught out under-stating the noise nuisance from Manston the last time Manston hired them.

Have they learned their lessons? Are their facts now crisp, and bang on the nail? Er, no. I only got to page 5 before the red mist rose and obscured the nonsense. Section 1.2.1 - Airport Location starts:

"Manston Airport lies approximately 20 km northeast of Canterbury, Kent and 4 km west of Ramsgate."

Click it to big it.

Here's a map, there's the scale, there's the airport, and there's Ramsgate. Four kilometres? Really? What do you think?

Manston Draft Noise Action Plan 2014(51 pages, 1.2Mb PDF)

Manston Draft Noise Action Plan 2014

(51 pages, 1.2Mb PDF)

You can download your copy of BAP's fairy story by clicking the picture right.

There is a prize of incalculable worth to the reader who finds and sends in the greatest number of errors, half-truths and truth-omissions.

They're still pushing the line that noise should only be monitored between 11:30pm and 6:30am. And they say that the S106 is effective. And so on.

Read it, carefully, and TAKE PART IN THE CONSULTATION. If you live under or near the flight path, please remember that these people do not have your best interests at heart - it's time to make your voice heard.


No Night Flights home page

Manston sold for one pound

HBM

Infratil, the Wellington-based infrastructure investor, has agreed to sell Manston Airport in the UK for 350,000 British pounds to Stagecoach Group co-founder Ann Gloag and her brother Brian Souter.

Ann Gloag

Ann Gloag

Infratil agreed to sell the airport for 1 pound plus adjustment for working capital variances and cash injected by Infratil, the company said in a statement.

The latest sale comes after Infratil last week said it was in talks to sell its Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the Scottish government, allowing the infrastructure investor to exit the unprofitable overseas airports it earmarked for sale in March last year. Infratil expects to write down the value of the assets in its books by about 11 million pounds to zero in its earnings for the six months to September 30, the company said today.

Infratil chief executive Marko Bogoievski said in the statement:

"From Infratil's perspective, while Manston was a very small part of the company's overall asset base, this sale will result in a more focused portfolio and improve our future cash flow position,"

The announcement comes a day after news that David Newman, a director of Infratil for almost two decades and chairman for the past nine years, had died in Wellington.

Shares in Infratil last traded at $2.535, having gained 12 per cent this year. The stock is rated a 'buy' according to the consensus of analysts polled by Reuters.

NZ Herald 14th Oct 2013


Ann Gloag 2.jpg

Infratil Limited has agreed to sell Manston Airport to Lothian Shelf (710) Limited, an entity wholly owned by Ann Gloag, for cash consideration of £1 plus an adjustment for working capital variances and cash injected by Infratil between 14 October 2013 and transaction completion (which is expected to be around GBP350,000).

Ann Gloag is an experienced investor who co-founded Stagecoach Group, the UK-listed public transport operator, along with her brother, Brian Souter.

Marko Bogoievski, Chief Executive of Infratil said:

"Infratil Limited is very pleased to have found an acquiror with a vision for Manston Airport's future development. From Infratil's perspective, while Manston was a very small part of the company's overall asset base, this sale will result in a more focused portfolio and improve our future cash flow position"

Ann Gloag said: 

"I am delighted to have purchased Manston Airport from Infratil as I believe there is real potential for growth that has not been fully captured. Having worked in the transport industry for over 30 years, I believe I am very well placed to help maximise opportunities for both freight and passengers at Manston."

Following the sale of this asset and the proposed sale of Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the Scottish Government announced last week, Infratil expects to impair these assets by approximately GBP11 million in its half year financial statements to 30 September 2013.

Completion and settlement of the Manston Airport sale will occur on 29 November 2013 (or earlier, at the purchaser's request), and is only conditional on matters within Infratil's control.

Kevin Baker
Chief Financial Officer

4-traders.com  14th Oct 2013


No Night Flights home page

KIACC meeting at Manston

HBM

KENT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING IN PUBLIC

Friday 27th September 2013 6.30pm in the Airport Departure Lounge

AGENDA

1.       Chairman's welcome & opening

2.       Minutes of last meeting

3.       Matters Arising

4.       Short introduction to the public part of the Meeting by P Twyman, Chair of KIACC

5.       Short presentations from Community Fund recipients

6.       Report from the Airport Management  (Charles Buchanan, CEO Manston Airport)

7.       Thanet District Council (Cllr Hart, Leader of the Council has been invited to speak)

8.     Questions from the public and discussion


Members of the public are invited to attend this meeting and will have the opportunity to ask questions after the business of the Committee has been dealt with.

Hear from Thanet District Council and the CEO of the Airport.  Hear about the work of KIACC.  Make your views known.

Agendas will be available at the meeting.

The Constitution of KIACC provides for one meeting a year at which the public can attend.  In recent years, in keeping with our wish to provide a public forum for discussion on airport issues, the Chairman has extended this provision so that the public can not only attend but have the opportunity to speak.  So far nobody has objected to this commonsense approach!

After the formal business of the meeting there will be ample opportunity for members of the public to ask questions and make suggestions (but not, please, long speeches).  It would be helpful in making best use of  time if people with specific questions could let us have them in advance so that they can be grouped together - suggestions to secretary.manstonkiacc@talktalk.net.   And if they are not reached they can be passed on to the appropriate quarter for a response.

We look forward to seeing you.


If past performance is anything to go by, we might expect an announcement from Charles Buchanan a few days after he is out of the public spotlight. 


No Night Flights home page


All original material copyright © 2010-2014 HerneBayMatters.com All rights reserved. All external links disclaimed.