News, Local history and Thanet issues from Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate see www.michaelsbookshop.com I publish over 200 books about the history of this area click here to look at them.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Ramsgate Harbour, down among the arches
Friday, 6 February 2015
London International Airport Thanet the Four Runway Plan Covering Most of Thanet
I think the word has got out that here in Thanet the
majority of people are very pro airport and as they would welcome a massive air
cargo hub, when in most parts of the country the vast majority of residents
would be against it and the associated air, noise pollution and road
congestion.
Click on the map to enlarge it.
Click on the map to enlarge it.
Anyway no nimbys in Thanet and so here is the plan submitted
to the transport committee, this is the link to it on the UK Parliament website
http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/transport-committee/smaller-airports/written/17731.pdf
I have also copied it below:
Written evidence from Coastal Airports (Holdings Limited)
(SMA0071) LONDON KENT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (“MANSTON”) EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
TO THE REVISED INITIAL OUTLINE PLAN
This Explanatory Memorandum is to be read with the
information and boxes on the A3 drawing. The aviation, environmental and
cost-effectiveness issues are all addressed in the Written Statement. This
Manston Airport redevelopment plan has been prepared for:- (1) The House of
Commons Transport Select Committee Hearings on 2 nd February 2015; (2) for Thanet
District Council Local Plan Consultations; (3) to indicate possible government
Safeguarding Directions and local temporary Planning Restrictions to cover much
wider areas; and (4) potential Outline Planning Applications. Development
Phases A to E are set out for main Runways 1 and 2 and future Runways 3 and 4.
Development Phase A:- Early reopening of the currently
semi-disused London Manston Airport as Runway 1 (“Manston”) with direct access
from the A299 Thanet Way and the new A256 Trunk Road and use of the small old
Kent International Air Terminal, initially for single runway reopening, for
proposed “River Oak” air freight services (whereby some 50 local jobs may
result) and our client’s proposed Air Ferry services into Europe (with some 80
more local jobs generated). Neither of those air services require the nearby
Minster Station or fast main line trains to London, nor new airport hotels, nor
other satellite businesses generating employment. But budget passenger airlines
and air charters at Manston could bring flight numbers up to some 20% of
Gatwick’s single runway use and with Air Ferry and airfreight, some 300 jobs
altogether could be at or near Manston Airport. For the passengers’ airport bus
relays, Minster Station has eight coach platforms, but it needs step-free
access and other minor improvements, for approval by South East trains. Airport
express services from St.Pancras International (initially say 1 tph) can be
reversed on the adjoining Dover branch line.
A surrounding access roads corridor of an improved B2050/A28
forms a natural planning boundary; between airport areas as such and ample land
areas to the North-East; suitable for hotels and business uses and residential
commuter development of Margate’s hinterland.
Development Phase B:- A new full-length Runway 2 (“Minster”)
and Terminal 2 (with building commencing if possible within a year of reopening
Runway 1) can be sited on the Monkton Marsh flood plain, with the sensitive air
terminal buildings on piled foundations and columns at podium level together
with circulation and parking beneath and even protected against “300 year”
floods. Runway 2, Terminal 2 and Minster Station need a new east-west highway
circuit (“Richborough Road” on the plan) from a new roundabout on the A256 and
along the south side of the railway and then connected to an improved A253 to
Monkton Roundabout on the A299 Thanet Way. Minster Station can be extended, for
full on-airport use of twelve coach trains (up to 3tph) with reversing either
at additional island platforms (to allow express trains to pass) and/or at
restored Richborough Sidings, with new signals for train stabling and with a
reversing platform between and as a possible “Richborough Parkway” terminus,
adjacent to industrial and parking land areas. An essential feature of Phase B
will be twin fully-ventilated box tunnels, for “airside” traffic between
Terminals 1 and 2 and for air personnel and passengers’ shuttle services
(provisional indication only). The existing Kerosene Jet Fuel depot services,
which are now sited near houses at Cliffs End, would be closed and moved to a
new depot site nearer Runway 2.
Development Phase C:- Major enhancement of Runway 1
(“Manston”) could be completed within four years of its initial restricted
reopening; by building a new full-size modern Terminal 1 (soon after Runway 2
is up-and-running and with the old KIA air terminal kept for air staff use)
again so as to equal the flight capacity of Gatwick’s single runway. The larger
New Terminal 1 will require new road and rail access and a new twelve coach
“Manston” on-airport station (up to 3tph) with crossplatform interchange to
proposed new Thanet Orbital Metro services (3tphew). This requires a short
strategic rail loop (partly on an old military railway route) linking-up the
main railway lines to form a circuit around Thanet. All over the world,
on-airport stations are profitable and these combined rail improvements should
be self-financing, from the “fares box”. The Thanet Orbital Metro will be a
bonus with a very short pay-back period.
Development Phase D:- Subject to demand, a shorter Runway 3
(“Monkton”) of say 1 km in length, would be for private planes and for RAF/FAA
Reserve STOL use; with a nearby helipad and its own smaller Terminal 3; again
with extended “airside” connections as before, to Terminals 1 and 2.
Development Phase E:- Subject to future demand, a potential
full-length Runway 4 and Terminal 4 (“Reculver”) can be built on Wades Marsh if
required, similarly to Runway 2 and Terminal 2 and over a culvert extension of
the eastern branch of the River Wantsum. As before, any future new Terminal 4
can be built on piled foundations and at podium level on columns, well above
the flood plain. Again, with extensions of twin airside connecting tunnels and
with an adjoining future Reculver Station. The B2050 would branch-off, to
extend further west to join the A299 Thanet Way.
I will add to this once I am sure the first bit has published OK
Ok I think I had better be as clear as I can on this one,
most of main Thanet politicians are very supportive of having an airfreight hub
at Manston, I hasten to add that this wouldn’t be what we had before which was
a small regional airport that people could book flights from, go to business
and holiday destinations.
The RiverOak plans are for an airfreight hub, the cpo would
be for an airfreight hub and what most of the PPCs are supporting is an
airfreight hub. I would say that at every level in the aviation business where
normally building an airfreight hub the local residents are perceived as the
main obstacle, here in Thanet the local residents are perceived as being in the
vast majority for any sort of aviation activity at Manston.
Now frankly if you have a community where the vast majority of residents and the vast majority of local politicians are behind the most undesirable aspect of having an airport, then it must follow that those people would be very much in favour of the more desirable aspects of having an airport. Holiday destinations, light aircraft, air shows, flight training and much better business connections.
Viewing these plans objectively the worst aspect is runway 1 where the intention is to fly large amounts of freight, with Ramsgate positioned at the incoming end at the runway and Herne Bay at the outward end.
Thursday, 5 February 2015
Margate Turner Contemporary, Al Murray, The Intolerant Wife in Broadstairs, Book Recycling in the Bookshop, a Day Orff Ramble and of course Manston
Back in Margate again for a second look at “Self” the
exhibition of self portraits, once again an impressive exhibition, I don’t
think any of the visitors to it are going to be disappointed. Well apart from a
few art critics as always, whose job it is to criticise so they often miss
something that just works well, has an atmosphere or whatever it is.
As always with an art exhibition that does it for me, I was
just gagging to draw after about an hour of looking at it so a cuppa and a
sketch in the gallery café.
Book recycling day today, which is when we take a Volvo
estate full of books for recycling.
I should stress that I see pulping as a last resort and
first they go in the 5p and 10p per book section in the bookshop, and then in
the 5p and 10p overspill section in the bookshop and if that fails then it’s
paper pulp.
Only a small amount of books that we bought for stock today,
just one pile as you see
I was pleased to get the Al Murray book though, I think he
is the only one of our Thanet South PPCs that have produced a book.
On to Broadstairs and lunch at “The Intolerant Wife” all day
breakfast for me and very good it was too. Sorry I never seem to remember to photograph the food until after we have started polishing it off.
I was still in sketching mood so another quick sketch in
there too.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Ieuan Edwards Exhibition at The York Street Gallery in Ramsgate
The current Exhibition is by Ieuan Edwards. A collection of Linocut Prints The exhibition runs - 4th Feb - 11th Feb
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Power Tool Accident at Manston Airport and a ramble
Here is the Emergency services tweet.
I will ramble on
MANSTON update: A man has been injured this afternoon by an exploding grinder that was being used to dismantle an aircraft at Manston .
This is probably the grinding disk disintegrating in an angle grinder, which can be very nasty indeed, I hope the worker using it is OK.
I have been sketching away between customers when I should have been working, here are yesterday's results.
My take is the authors on http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ are fair game being artists too, and as the photos are very small it is giving me good practice getting better or at least somwhare with getting very small liknesses into my shetches.
only one so far today and a big mostly blank bit of A4
picture when it works, a bad day on the technology front with a power outage in King Street earlier.
On the blogging front it hasn't take long for the spam comments to get back to an unmanageable level, so if you comment anonymously and your comment seems way off the wall, mostly unrelated to the post and so on it probably won't get published.
The commercial spammers are getting much better at making their comments looks as though they are related to the post and then slipping in whatever it is they want to get across. And added to this is the non commercial spam where individuals try to get across a message that they wouldn't dare to publish under their own name or on their own blog here.
The real issue for me is with comment notification, the idea being that you comment here which triggers an email to my mobile phone, which allows me ot ok your comment and it then gets published.
Of course what happens in practice is that I get 100s of emails a day relating to spam comments, so ignore them and deal with the comments when i get the time.
another one from the Kent 999 twitter feed a couple of days out of date but I haven't seen any news coverage of this.
The real issue for me is with comment notification, the idea being that you comment here which triggers an email to my mobile phone, which allows me ot ok your comment and it then gets published.
Of course what happens in practice is that I get 100s of emails a day relating to spam comments, so ignore them and deal with the comments when i get the time.
another one from the Kent 999 twitter feed a couple of days out of date but I haven't seen any news coverage of this.
RAMSGATE update: Rubber safety matting around King George VI Park play area was set alight tonight. The fire spread to some play equipment.
RAMSGATE: The children's play area was set on fire in King George VI Park around 7.15pm tonight. Pic Pam Bellingham
I will ramble on
Monday, 2 February 2015
Manston Transport Committee meeting video
I will try to put this up in way that it will
work for people, no guarantees.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-31104618
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2015-02-02/mps-discuss-manston-airports-future-in-committee/
if you hover your mouse over the video and right click and then left click on run this plugin it may work, if you are prompted to install Silverlight you will need to do this to watch the video.
Ok some thoughts on the video and it’s content.As far as I can see parliament has decided to go with a Microsoft video player that is difficult to use on non windows devices.
News coverage of the event.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-31104618
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2015-02-02/mps-discuss-manston-airports-future-in-committee/
The whole transcript will be available on the parliament website
in a few days time.
And boringly enough my own views.
I think the most important thing to remember here is that the
select committee can’t do anything much to change the situation over Manston
airport.
They can’t for instance make TDC reengage in the cpo, so anything you hear in the video doesn’t change the situation and there really is very little chance of anything in the way of a change of direction on UK airports until well after the May elections.
I guess what leaves me a bit unconvinced is that the Manston Airport site has considerable environmental constraints, particularly relating to water and air pollution, which restrict commercial and industrial development there.These constraints would probably make it difficult to have a significant airfreight hub there and would also probably make it difficult to have a significant industrial park there.
Sunday, 1 February 2015
Sunday Ramble
the chill wind meant that today was pretty much canceled due to lack of interest. shopping had to be done and the fairer sex in my family did the Sainsbury mission while i sat in the cafe and sketched.
As you see I didn't get very far, mainly because I had a salad and pot of tea to consume as well. For any art critics here is a close up which you can click on and make much bigger than the original.
Demolition of the old Sainsbury supermarket was well underway, sorry it's all a bit in the distance I have ordered a clip on telephoto for my phone from China.
Well click on it compulsively and you may be able to see the remains.
Tomorrow Manston comes up at parliament and I think some sort of mass demonstration is planned by the save the airport supporters.
Tomorrow Manston comes up at parliament and I think some sort of mass demonstration is planned by the save the airport supporters.
I may ramble on here
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Ramsgate and the Labour years
Just before lunchtime yesterday – Friday – market day in
Ramsgate I walked down King Street from my bookshop. With all of our UKIP
councillors at TDC, the UKIP offices being at the end of King Street and KCC
being responsible for blocked drains and uneven pavements, this is a journey
that provokes some thought. Perhaps UKIP councillors float in the air with
their eyes shut, perhaps they are just ignored at KCC, perhaps blocked drains
and uneven pavements are something they just don’t notice.
Moving the rubbish collection to late on Friday morning is
down to TDC and with so much invested in Margate at the moment, with Dreamland
due to open soon, I guess it is at least understandable why TDC would want
Ramsgate to fail, any of those shoppers they can get out of Ramsgate may just
go to Margate, a forlorn hope but there you go.
Anyway right in the middle of the very busy market there is
a pop up Labour TDC councillors stall, the idea of this or perhaps the hope of
this is that when we get to the polling station in May and are faced with the
three sets of ballot papers. One for the parliamentary elections where we
chose. What? MP, prime minister, different coalition. One for TDC councillors
where we chose. What? A councillor who will represent us, Margate council, a
labour councillor – even they seem to think that TDC will be run by a
Conservative/UKIP coalition made up of the North Thanet Conservative old guard.
One for RTC councillors where we chose. What?
My guess is that the results in this election are going to
be something of a three way split here in Thanet, Labour, Conservative and
UKIP, but will many people who vote say UKIP on one ballot paper, vote
differently on the others?
So how did Labour do? Their leadership of TDC hangs on
getting voted in in Ramsgate. So have they done much for Ramsgate.
The main Ramsgate issues below and how they have faired
under three years of Labour.
Night Flights: Well the airport has gone and I don’t think
it would be easy to attach much blame for this to any political party, so no
real score here.
Westcliff Hall: still the same, no score
Harbour Arches: much improved, 8 out of 10?
Café on the end of pier: reinstated 10 out of 10
Albion House: sorted 10 out of 10
Maritime Museum: open for most of the summer: 6 out of 10
Pavillion: going to be big pub 5 out of 10
Town centre: well buying up a significant shop in a pretty much fully let shopping parade next to the main car park to turn the shop part into social housing, this has to be a minus 10.
Pleasurama: no change so no score.
Port Ramsgate: this would have been a no score, but with TDC
ex senior officers putting together their rubbish plan I think this may be a
minus 10.
Of course at this point it may be a good idea to speculate where
we would be if the Conservatives had stayed in power, my guess and this is only
based on what they managed to do for Ramsgate during the 8 years they were in
power, is that we would have been even worse off.
I asked the Labour councillors various questions and got the
expected answers apart from when I asked them if they had had a flutter on Will
winning the parliamentary elections and becoming MP for Thanet South. The odds
are 8 to 1 at the moment which I think is pretty good, and no they hadn’t.
I may ramble on here
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