Tag Archives: Future

The future of Manston Airport will be under the spotlight at Westminster today when MPs take evidence from both its new owners and those who want it to be kept open. Members of the transport select committee will also hear from the leader of Thanet council Iris Johnston and Kent County Council leader Cllr Paul Carter. MP Sir Roger Gale, Thanet …

I should like to make a few points, of which Cllr Carter should be informed! Firstly, he says that Manston’s runway is 2,752m. When I checked, it was 2,658m. Heathrow has two runways – 3,500m and 3,570m, with Gatwick’s one at 3,750m. So nowhere near comparable. He says that Manston “is able to cater for all modern jet aircraft”; that’s …

Kiwis fly in

All along the flight path, the whispered words are spreading like wildfire: the bigwigs of a company on the other side of the world are coming to Kent on Monday. I'm thrilled at the prospect of these well-travelled, high-spending visitors plastering shop counters with their New Zealand dollars, but I can't help wondering why exactly they're coming, and why now?

One of the reasons that Herne Bay Museum was vulnerable to closure was that of all the museums in the Council’s service, its visitor figures were the least impressive. They had in fact been dropping for the last couple of years. One of the things we can do as a group is to help reverse this trend. The community needs …

To become a stakeholder group and consequently have some influence, we needed to have a formal structure and constitution. The key aims and objectives are: To support a Museum in Herne Bay open to the general public at reasonable time. To encourage an interest in the history of Herne Bay through exhibits in the Museum and other appropriate means. To …

Welcome to the Friends of Herne Bay Museum, which has come into being really as a result of last years bombshell announcement of possible closure. The campaign group that formed in response to this threatforms the core of the current committee. The reason for the Friends is the need to cement the mass of protest into something more substantial, and …

Inventing the future

Grab a hefty chunk of the TDC Regeneration budget. This is the prize money. The competition: affordable, quick-build, long-life, green housing. The location: Manston's runway, 2.7km of high performance concrete and tarmac, ready-made foundations for just about anything.

Clipping: thisiskent

THE chief executive of Infratil has not ruled out selling stakes in Manston airport if a buyer can be found, according to a business website. Marko Bogoievski is quoted on www.stuff.co.nz in an article prompted by the New Zealand based company posting big business losses. The website reports that analysts said Infratil's European airports, including Kent International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick, and energy developments were the most likely assets to go on the block.

Regen Park

"Regeneration work in Thanet includes improving buildings and public spaces in our towns, development of business parks and working with community groups to help bring their ideas to fruition to improve the area. The emphasis in regeneration is on working in partnership with a wide range of organizations, so that together we can make Thanet a quality place to live, an attractive location for investment and an enjoyable area to visit."

Manston isn't Outer London. It's out of London.

Well, there are several airports that have leapt on the global branding bandwagon and smuggled the word 'London' into their name, with varying degrees of geographical accuracy.

(A special mention must go to "London Ashford Airport": 60 miles from London, 13 miles from Ashford, 1 mile from Lydd. It seems the greater the distance, the more prominent the billing - it's full title is actually "Jupiter Brazil London Ashford Airport".)