some Margate Lifeboat pictures and some Old Ramsgate pictures and a ramble

 'Lord Southborough'

 Lifeboat at the Tongue Lightship

The main local news of the day is the sale of the Manston Airport site, SHP who said they wanted to build a mixed use development there to RSP who say they want to build an airfreight hub there.

What politicians and offshore funded companies actually mean is another thing altogether. Looking into my crystal ball I would still be surprised if Manston turned in to a major airfreight hub, the money always seems to be in residential development there.

My reservations are founded mostly in something like, if a car manufacturing company I had never heard of said it was going to build a plant making diesel cars I would have reservations.

I am however expecting another aviation failure at Manston Airport, depending on how the DCO goes.

At the time of writing 4 pm on the 3rd July there is nothing about this on the RSP website or the SHP website on the whole I would think this tells you more about both companies interest in public engagement than anything else.

Here is the email from RSP

Manston Airport site sold to RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited

Stone Hill Park Limited (SHP) has agreed to sell all its interests in the Manston Airport site to RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited (RSP). Contracts were exchanged yesterday (2 July 2019) and completion of the purchase is expected to take place early next week. The site is currently subject to a Development Consent Order (DCO) examination process on proposals by RSP to reopen the airport as a freight hub. As the new owners of the site, RSP will be able to carry out survey work vital to the conclusion of the DCO examination process, with immediate effect. SHP has agreed that, on completion, it will withdraw its objection to the DCO. It will also withdraw its two outstanding planning applications for housing and mixed use on Manston and will no longer participate in the Local Plan Enquiry. This means that the Examining Authority will no longer be asked to consider compulsory acquisition powers over 98% of the site and will instead be able to focus on the benefits of the project and the management of environmental impacts. George Yerrall, a director of RSP said, “It has been a long process with SHP and we felt the time had come for the parties to come together to negotiate a settlement of the ownership issues.  We now look forward to focusing on securing development consent and making rapid progress towards the re-opening of Manston with all the economic and other benefits we believe it will bring to Thanet and East Kent. “Since the acceptance of our DCO application for examination we have had immense interest from interested parties, not only airlines and freight operators, but also a wide range of other organisations that will benefit from the airport reopening, including local colleges and employers. Now that we have secured the land, it will allow us to develop those relationships as far as we can whilst we wait to receive development consent.” Three consecutively busy days at work here at Michael's Bookshop, which is closed tomorrow so a well earned day off. I did get out this evening and take a few photos  link to today's photos and a bit of painting. Pricing Jessop's book about the Cinque Ports we came across this inscription