Report highlights night flights hype

Nights flights will not be the salvation of Manston airport, according to campaigners who say that a report from a leading transport consultancy backs their views.

Community groups say they do not believe allowing the flights would bring any economic benefit to the residents of Thanet, and may in fact bring harm to the area due to the impact of noise and air pollution.

Many also say that if the proposed operations went ahead, they could actually deter people who might be planning to move their businesses to the area or thinking of buying a home there. Dr Hilary Newport, of Protect Kent, the county arm of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said:

“Night flights will not be the airport’s salvation. Manston cannot sell all of its daytime slots, and disturbing the sleep of residents in Ramsgate and beyond is not the way forward.”

A report into the contentious issue - authored on behalf of Thanet District Council by Parsons Brinkerhoff, a leading transport consultancy - has just been published. CPRE casts doubt on the claim of airport operator Infratil that 3,000 jobs will be created if night flights go ahead and says that the impact of noise levels has been underestimated.

Andrew Ogden, campaigns manager for Protect Kent, said:

“This report, which is based on an examination of the documents submitted by Infratil, clearly brings into doubt many of their claims. Parsons Brinkerhoff indicates that Infratil’s views of the economic benefits are wildly over-optimistic, while the impacts of noise - the major concern of residents in the area - have been seriously understated. These two points alone vindicate the local opposition groups, whose concerns have been regarded by some as backward-looking and ‘nimbyism’.

The fact that Flybe are pulling out in March because they cannot fill planes is damning proof of the lack of demand for flights out of Manston. We simply cannot see how allowing night flights will help Manston grow as a passenger airport, and therefore generate both jobs and economic sustainability for the area.”

In light of this recent report, Protect Kent is asking for full public consultation before any night flights are allowed. It says this should be open and transparent, with all the facts available. Mr Ogden said:

“This will enable the people of East Kent to weigh up the benefits and disadvantages of night flights and lobby Thanet District Council accordingly. It is only right they be given this opportunity, as it is their communities and environment that will be significantly affected by the implementation of night flights.”

However, a report last year commissioned by Infratil said the flights would be beneficial. The first part of the Economic Impact Report, produced by York Aviation and published in May, suggested that the airport would directly employ 2,070 people and support a further 1,035 indirect jobs by 2018 if a level of night flights was allowed. It also estimated that the Kent airport would deliver almost £65 million a year to the local economy by 2018 if its Master Plan development was realised.

Today (25th Jan 2012), Clive Hart, leader of Thanet District Council, signed a decision notice, which states the council’s intention to carry out a focused consultation in-house for 28 days for isle residents and in particular for those directly affected by the airport’s proposals.

The decision follows clarification that the proposal submitted by Infratil is for consultation only and so does not require a planning application at this stage. The council says this means its role is therefore as a ‘consultee’ and it is not in a position to make a binding decision in respect of the night-time flying policy.

It is seeking advice as to whether the proposed night-flying policy could result in an “intensification or change in operation at the airport”. This could then require a planning application at some point in the future. Cllr Hart said:

“We’re committed to listening to our residents and will still provide the opportunity for people to comment on the proposals before we draft our response from the council, as well as people being able to provide their views directly to the airport. We’ve promised that we will seek residents’ views, and we’re standing by this commitment but on a more appropriate scale. This issue needs to be drawn to a conclusion for the sake of the community, the council and the airport.”

The public consultation is proposed to launch on Friday, February 3, for 28 days and will be open to all residents in Thanet. Responses to the proposals must be submitted in writing to Consultation, Thanet District Council, PO Box 9, Margate CT9 1XZ, or by email to consultation@thanet.gov.uk Full names and addresses must be provided with each response. To view the proposals, and for more information about the public consultation, visit www.thanet.gov.uk, where information will be available to view from Thursday, January 26.

kentnews 25th Jan 2012 Nick Ames, reporter

Council promises 'hard negotiations' with airport

A three month consultation has thrown up a range of concerns from residents in Thanet, Sturry and Herne Bay, that will be discussed with Manston airport owners, PlaneStation. Inappropriate penalties, inadequate noise monitoring, off-route aircraft, and concern that cargo flights may increase, were among the worries voiced. Council leader Cllr Sandy Ezekiel pledged that the local authority would "go into hard negotiations" with the airport owners over a revised Section 106 environmental agreement that will update the original five-year-old voluntary agreement that he described as "rather woolly". He said:

"People have taken the opportunity to put their views forward and some clear messages have emerged that will be taken into consideration as work gets underway on the successor to the 106 agreement. We need to provide better information to the public and noise monitoring needs to be improved."

Dr Hilary Newport, Kent director of the Campaign for Rural England, said her main concern was over night flying. She said:

"Night flying is a major issue for any airport, but especially for Manston, and it needs to be strictly controlled or it will seriously damage people’s quality of life. The town of Ramsgate is just 1,300 metres from aircraft touching down."

She said that the branch was so concerned about the potential impact of night flying on the residents of Thanet, it commissioned research by acoustic consultants Capita Symons. Noise monitoring was conducted at three locations around the airport. It said that readings taken as jet aircraft took off showed that night flying noise over Ramsgate exceeds Government and World Health Organisation guidelines. EUjet Fokker 100s registered a peak of 84.3 decibels, equivalent to a short blast of a pneumatic drill 30 metres away. Dr Newport added:

"Night flying is not allowed at London City, Belfast, Norwich and Southend airports because of the proximity of housing. CPRE Kent believes that Manston should be classified as a city airport for the same reason. The results of Capita Symons’ noise monitoring only confirm what hundreds of Ramsgate residents already know: aircraft over the town are unacceptably noisy, and they must not be allowed to come and go at any time of night. We need to make sure that night flying will, genuinely, not be part of the long-term plans for Manston. PlaneStation needs to confirm, once and for all, what is happening after September, then the residents of Ramsgate will know what chance they have of a getting a decent night’s sleep in the future."

But Stuart McGoldrick, group commercial director at EUjet, said the company is "very disappointed at the tone and content" of the "highly subjective" CPRE comments that "fail to grasp some of the key points relating to night flights from Manston". He said:

"Kent International Airport is pleased to confirm that it has not requested permission for any night flights for the winter season starting on October 30 as EUjet has received all the flight slots requested from outstation airports. The number of night flights operated this summer will be significantly fewer than allowed under the original 106 Agreement. Kent International Airport is aware of local sensitivity to night flights and has sought to reduce night flying throughout the summer to an absolute minimum. This winter there will be no scheduled night flying at all. The Fokker 100 aircraft – which is the type EUjet operates – is the quietest regional jet in operation anywhere in the world. The CPRE refers to the measurement of noise levels of aircraft taking off – EUjet has only night arrivals at Kent International Airport. In addition, whenever wind conditions allow all aircraft have a westerly flight arrival pattern specifically designed to minimise any impact on the local population.

Kent International Airport originally requested night flights for the summer season only, which resulted in permission to operate to the end of September being granted by Thanet council. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error on our part, the original Section 106 Agreement failed to allow for the fact that airlines the world over operate on a seasonal basis – with the summer lasting from the end of March to the end of October. EUjet is no different. Hence the request that the successor 106 Agreement, the terms of which we are far from taking for granted, take account of this fact of airline life."

Mr Ezekiel added:

"Night flying is an issue that particularly affects those under the flight path and we will look very carefully at the statistics from this summer’s night flights. The public has sent a firm message to the airport owners PlaneStation that they want to know more about the plans for the airport and what it will mean for them. People want to be kept fully informed about the airport’s development and growth. This successor to the original agreement needs to maintain people’s quality of life as far as possible. The council will use feedback from the public consultation to ensure that this happens and I am sure that all councillors welcome the extensive information from the public consultation."

Council chief executive Richard Samuel said the consultation provided a lot of information and that feedback showed strong support for the airport, its continued development and for economic growth of the area. He said:

"People have told us where they stand on this issue and it is most important."

kentonline 18th July 2005