Saturday 2 May 2009

Manston will close says Matt Clarke of Infratil

Not just his words in February, before the mystery BA contract that never happened, as the sheep-councillors hustled through night flight changes - but now his words just last week in another emergency presentation to Thanet Council.

Matt, Infratil's Manston Chief Exec, goes further and says in his report that sudden influxes of freight traffic is urgently required.

Of course. But it's rarer than scotch mist. Hundreds of freight flights. 24/7.

The question now is how many days and weeks do Infratil have left?

And how will TDC and KCC not be left holding the baby in terms of clean-up of Infratil's mess?

A bargain-basement land sale, dodgy planning permissions for passenger terminals but cargo sheds instead, dumped jumbo jets, 3 years of water pollution, air and noise pollution on the local populations at Ramsgate, Sandwich, Broadstairs, Herne Bay and Canterbury and repeated breaches of the S106?

All opposite Ostend Cargo Airport and the world's largest passenger and freight airports at Gatwick and Heathrow.

And Infratil rewriting the 106 themselves to allow the banned loop training flights - and previously banned EU aircraft.

The Gang of Four are left with egg and aviation fuel on their face.

Can they hang on - and onto their pensions - until after the June Election before being dumped?

Claims of the 82 jobs at Manston are inflated and not full-time or full-waged positions - but then Infratil have always flown fast and loose with the truth: roosts for owls in dumped jumbo jets? Or one of TDC's infamous Xmas consultations with Infratil on the 6M passenger Masterplan?

Again as credible as the Gang of Four themselves.

And their incompetent policies for closing museums, repeated pollution and economic collapse in Thanet.

We have the clutching of straws as the last foolish regeneration plan collapses - except for the ChinaGateway cargo warehouses around Manston. With the £25k party donations.

Or the British Virgin Islands tax haven project for Pleasurama with unnamed directors and shareholders - a loophole that closes in January 2010 too.

The reality is that Manston always has been a plan for a freight airport with a figleaf of passenger flights to make 24/7 night flights palatable.

And who will clean up the mess?

Or shall we leave it?

Meanwhile Kings Hill regenerates the old airport in Tonbridge with several dozen companies and housing plans.

As MP I will call for the extradition of any Infratil Directors who've left for Down Under not in chains and a Parliamentary Inquiry into Kent's aviation policies.

As well as UK aviation data on cancer levels around airports, water pollution etc.

Our lame duck MP's have failed. And Brazier and Ladyman were the Air and Transport Minsiters - and now the Election Ferry has sunk without even fitting in the harbour.

And Silent Sandys is, well, silent - except for supporting Roger Gale's foolish and desperate "2012 airport" nonsense and photo opps with Roger and Julian and Matt as they claimed Manston was a resounding regeneration success.

Idiots.

And a dangerous and deceitful lack of care and attention for public safety with removed noise and air monitors from a school and other public buildings.

Who will clean up after dirty Infratil?

Failed. Failed. Failed.

Time for Change

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