Night flight debate over east Kent rages on as consultation nears

Victor Hibben

Clipping: thisiskent

OPPOSITION is mounting to the threat of sleep-busting night flights above Herne Bay. Kent International Airport owner Infratil is asking Thanet District Council to overturn the ban on regular night flying, which could lead to up to six cargo planes a night flying directly over the town. Shocked residents have claimed they only found out about the plan from the Herne Bay Times.

The Herne Bay Matters website has been bombarded with comments slamming the plan and urging townsfolk to sign an online petition opposing night flying. However, the scheme has also found some support from reader Victor Hibben, of Mill View Road, Herne, who accuses opponents of Nimbyism. He said:

"It would appear now we have a stable management base at Manston. Should we not put our individual concerns to one side and for once veer away from recent years of perpetual whining and moaning about projects for the future, and give thought to the future employment and prospects of our grandchildren and their children? Let us not miss an opportunity at Manston, let us look further than the end of our noses into what could be a success and give the management a chance to make Manston the pride of the South East."

Mr Hibben said that he regularly experiences noise from flights overhead but claims he is not disturbed by it. He added:

"Of all these so-called protesters and campaigners, how many have flown to holiday destinations, or maybe on business? Have they had a pang of conscience when zooming into the sky at whatever time of the night, or rumbling back to Heathrow or Gatwick? Not in the slightest. Have any of them in all honesty refused to fly because of the noise or inconvenience to those whose lives are affected? How many will feel justified in preventing a charity flight taking off at night to aid stricken families abroad?"

Thanet council will launch a public consultation on the plans for regular night flights from November 1. It is expected to last until February, and officials plan to include an independent review of Infratil's assessment of noise impact on surrounding towns and villages.

By jan thom

Many flights not needed

Clipping: thisiskent

Controversy over Manston airport is never far from the headlines but claims by a pilot that flights over Ramsgate are largely unnecessary will reignite the row. While most people in Thanet support the existence, and growth, of Kent International Airport, the subject of flights over the town has temperatures rising. Whether or not you live in the town, the blight that low-flying planes coming over the beaches and Eastcliff bring is pretty much indisputable.

Not many people can ignore the repetitive roar overhead of the training flights. The aim of having an airport in Manston is to attract business and tourism and to help regeneration. It would be ironic if these flight routes, which are to get busier if plans by airport owner's Infratil for growth come to fruition, threaten to scare away the very people and business we hope to attract.

Who would come to Ramsgate if they knew their visit was to be scuppered by the sound of roaring jet engines? What enjoyment is there in a scenery where bird sounds are drowned out by planes landing and the skies are heavily scored with vapour trails? For too long people complaining about flights over Ramsgate have been dismissed as Nimbys. Maybe this information will add credence to their claims that the disturbance is largely unnecessary.