To receive a presentation from River Oak Strategic Partners on their proposals for the reopening of Manston Airport.
Minutes:
Mr T Freudmann and Mr N Lawlor representing RiverOak Strategic Partners Ltd gave a presentation to the Council on the consultation for the proposed Development Consent Order (DCO) in respect of Manston Airport. As part of the presentation they set out their proposals for the reopening and operation of the airport.
The key points of the presentation were as follows:
· Members were advised that RiverOak had no plans to build housing on the airport site. The size of the site meant that the existing space would be needed for aviation and their proposals required significant aviation infrastructure investment. RiverOak were proposing the construction of 19 Code ‘E’ (747 size) stands and 600,000 square feet of warehouse space. As the airport was effectively being designed from scratch, it would allow for an efficient freight flow to the road network to be designed and space at the north of the airport had been identified for freight forwarding.
· The Development Consent Order proposals were based on freight being the primary driver of the business with an estimated 10-15,000 cargo movements per annum. There was also the potential capacity for up to 2 million passenger movements per annum, although this was not the primary focus of their proposals. The size of the runway meant that it could receive long haul inbound passenger charter flights and there was a potential synergy with cruises operating out of the Port of Dover.
· There was significant airfreight arriving in Northern Europe currently that was intended for the UK market and with constraints in London airport freight capacity there was an opportunity for Manston.
· It was expected that the site investment would be between £300 – 400 million in total, with each Code ‘E’ stand costing £2 million, and that it would take 2 years to deliver the required aviation infrastructure to start operating. The first phase of investment would be £50-65 million depending on the number of Code ‘E’ stands and airport taxi routes constructed.
· It was emphasised that strong relationships with local Further Education providers would be necessary to ensure that the required skills and training could be offered locally for the jobs that would be created both directly and indirectly.
· In respect of concerns over flight paths and aircraft noise, it was stated that this would be a matter for designation by the Civil Aviation Authority. However, it was expected that a condition for a CAT3 landing system on both ends of the runway would be applied, as opposed to the previous single CAT3 landing system, which would allow for flight routes to be split over more directions.
· The intended hours of operation would be 07:00 to 23:00 hours. Members were advised that the cost of night operations meant that it was uneconomical for the operation of night flights, although some flights could operate during the 06:00 to 07:00 shoulder period.
Councillor P A Watkins advised that the Council would continue to press for needed upgrades to transport routes (such as the A2 and A256) and welcomed the potential for the creation of skilled jobs in East Kent.
RESOLVED: That the presentation be noted.