AWP postponement explained

Some TDC Members aren't happy with some TDC Officers. Well, an Officer.

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Subject: CANCELLATION OF AIRPORT WORKING PARTY MEETING

Dear Members of the Airport Working Party,

I am cancelling the Airport Working Party meeting which is scheduled for tomorrow [19th Feb] for the following reasons:

1.    The paperwork was circulated too late for any useful discussion with officers as to its contents (or lack thereof).

2.    My recollection from the original meeting was that the report should focus on what we as a council can do to support economic growth using the airport - and this question has not been addressed in the report.

I am sorry that Members (and indeed others who may have planned to attend from the press and public) may have been inconvenienced. I myself only had sight of the report this Saturday morning (16th February).

As well as asking Democratic Services to circulate AWP members and any others who usually attend, I will ask for Members to be phoned to ensure you receive the notification in time, however as Charles Hungwe is on leave this week, I am also writing to you directly. Could you please advise any substitute member you may have selected about the cancellation, and anyone from the public you are aware of who planned to attend.

I wish it to go on record that I am truly shocked that a report which was requested in October for a January meeting – and which was then delayed several weeks as it was not complete, has not been available until two (working) days before the meeting. This shows a complete lack of respect for Scrutiny and for the members of the working party. That the report only amounted to four pages really added insult to injury!

The report, “The role of Manston International Airport in a new regeneration strategy and overall economic strategy for Thanet” should be a key strategic document. Therefore I can only surmise that either there is no work being done on this vital topic (despite the request from Scrutiny), or we are not being allowed access to the council’s emerging regeneration and economic development policies, which is equally disturbing.

Either way, it makes a mockery of Scrutiny.

Since the main Scrutiny Panel agreed just last week to recommend that the remit and number of Scrutiny committees be widened, we need to seriously reflect on the purpose of the recommendation and its likely effectiveness if not supported by the administration.

Jo Gideon, Chairman, Airport Working Party

Airport Working Party meeting Tuesday 19th Feb

NEWSFLASH: This meeting has now been postponed. No new date has yet been set.

Oh joy of joys - another opportunity to see Thanet's finest in action (inaction?). The greybeards and hotheads will be getting together to apply their minds to the knotty problem of whether and how Manston might contribute to Thanet's glowing future.

Venue: Austen Room, Council Offices, Cecil Street, Margate, Kent. Click HERE for the Agenda etc.

The main topic of conversation promises to be a report from Rob Hetherington, TDC's Economic & Regeneration Manager (see below for an annotated version).

The Role of Manston International Airport in a New Regeneration Strategy by NoNightFlights

TDC seeks Regeneration chief. GSOH essential.

District council chiefs have begun the hunt for a new regeneration manager to oversee their ambitious plans to redevelop Thanet. The new post was advertised in the national press last week after bosses failed to find an internal candidate for the job.

Projects such as Dreamland, Manston airport, Ramsgate harbour and the London Array wind farm will dominate the council's new vision for the area. London headhunter firm Prospectus is conducting the search for candidates to lead this key area, which commands a salary of between £50,000-£75,000, depending on the recruit.

The new officer will be responsible for the council's development strategy, funding for projects and physical and social regeneration. Sources close to the recruitment process describe the schedule for Thanet's development as ambitious, and bosses are keen to attract a candidate with a proven track record to carry the Thanet 2030 vision.

The new officer will be partly judged on the successful completion of the project.

Initial interviews will be conducted between July 14 to 18, with final interviews with chief executive Sue McGonigal on July 20 to 21, in advance of an appointment on August 2.

IoT Gazette 24th Jun 2011

CCC's Regeneration Department

My favourite starfish

In the interests of spreading our love and help far and wide we (Mrs Earplugs and I) met up with some of the Canterbury people who will be dealing with Thanet District Council over the next few months while Infratil’s Masterplan is being goggled at.

It turned out to be a useful and encouraging way to spend a morning. There was a big cheese from CCC’s Environmental Health bods, the top banana from their Regeneration department, and Cllr Mike Patterson, who is on the KIACC. (I couldn’t help wondering: if you snip bits off people from Regeneration, do they simply re-grow, like starfish? If so, it offers an easy way to ramp up the staffing levels.)

The plan was to provide them with enough armour, ammunition, sticks and carrots for them to be able to nudge Thanet away from a worst-of-all-possible-worlds outcome. The mighty wodge of words, numbers and pictures we gave them can be summarised thus:

• The Draft Masterplan for KIA is indicative but insubstantial – it needs to be redrafted, and then put out to consultation properly.
• The Section 106 Agreement should reflect the needs of everyone affected by the operation of the airport, not just Infratil and TDC.
• There is absolutely no need or justification for night flights (other than emergency diversions).
• Flight paths should avoid population centres by overflying the sea, or sparsely populated land.
• If overflying towns is unavoidable, the planes could fly higher for longer, and then descend more steeply.
• These ‘people-friendly’ routes should be agreed and implemented before flight volumes increase.
• Infratil must demonstrate that the routes are being adhered to by recording and reporting what the planes actually do.
• Infratil must install adequate noise and pollution monitoring equipment.
• The noise monitoring equipment must be used consistently.
• The readings from all the monitoring equipment must be recorded consistently.
• The recorded readings must be published frequently and regularly (e.g. on-line).
• Failure to comply with the S106 agreement must be reported and fined. Any decisions not to fine must be explained.

As you can see, all good reasonable stuff, and they seemed to buy into it. In all fairness, we all know that Canterbury are no more than consultees in this process, and have no effective Vulcan death-grip that they could apply, other than possibly dragging everything through the courts. In that respect they are about as powerless as a Thanet resident. Nonetheless, they are prepared to listen politely, pay attention and take notes – which puts them in my good books. It remains to be seen how much they can influence Thanet, but I shall keep fuelling them.