Sunday 17 April 2016

What do the 10000 on SMA want?

When Save Manston Airport (SMA) Facebook page started nearly 2 years ago who would have thought that over 10000 members would be imprisoned within its closed society. This is a site where dissent is not only frowned upon their "thought police" ensure only one voice is heard. "Riveroak, Riveroak" is the cry and Freudmann is their saviour as they are seen as the only possible way of saving "their" airport.
"Thank goodness SMA have such great administrators, we may have the odd SHP spy sneaking into our group but they daren't have open anti airport conversation on here"
Now the last time I looked Christine this is a society that thrives on free speech however in SMA land (or is that a totalitarian society like North Korea) having free speech is frowned upon, No sorry that's deleted and the owner of that errant thought is instantly removed.

For Cherry here is a novel thought 95% of freight into Heathrow arrives in the belly of passenger, yes that's right PASSENGER planes. So opening Manston as a freight HUB doesn't help Heathrow one tiny bit.
Now imagine the surprise then that a recent poll on this totalitarian like closed group asked the 10000 profiles this question "Use Manston for local UK flights non-world flights?" then various different alternatives were added broadly into passenger or freight options.
So what does this mean? Firstly because no one is allowed to be a dissenter the logic says everyone must want "airport" however the party line is a freight Hub promoted by Riveroak and accepted without question by the Central Politburo so it comes as a surprise that that isn't what those that bothered to vote decided was their objective.
Some figures 10000 profiles and 6% bother to vote at all that is 608 after 24 hours and of them 75% want passenger flights. ARE YOU LISTENING RIVEROAK? not a freight hub after all.


Saturday 9 April 2016

DCO vs CPO Questions

For those that haven't been following the Manston saga (its getting to feel like Eastenders) currently there are 3 different strands of the story. Riveroak (an American Real Estate Investment LLP) have failed twice to persuade Thanet Council to be their partner in Compulsorily Purchasing (CPO) the land from the rightful owner Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave.
So now they are trying to take the land by use of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) at the same time Thanet Council under UKIP are looking to find alternate partners to CPO the land whilst the legitimate owner are preparing to submit their own plans for the land.

Confused well it certainly is for the Save Manston Airport (SMA) supporters Facebook page as they are still stuck in the past with Riveroak their preferred option, and with 10000? supporters they feel what they know is right and everyone else is telling lies.
They state The DCO out trumps anything that the owners and TDC are doing and they believe its a done deal and the clock is running.

Unfortunately some members of the Public have been asking searching questions and it seems what SMA have been promoting is wide of the mark but whatever you do don't tell SMA. The questions are as follows and can be found here

Well what does this mean? it's quite simple as the last paragraph states "if this were to occur ..... and their relative public benefits ......would be carefully taken into account by the relevant Secretary of State before deciding" In other words neither DCO or CPO takes precedence.


What does this mean? In plain English the questioner wants to know whether Riveroak's plans are a NSIP or not.
The answer is quite simple the planning Inspectorate have no idea because "no application has yet been made" further they go on to say "If an application is made it will NOT BE ACCEPTED for examination unless the Secretary of State is confident that it is an NSIP"

Finally the last question.
So the questioner would like to know if TDC is successful in finding an indemnity party and is also successful in the attempt at a CPO (that would depend on it being better that the owner's plans for the site) then could Riveroak take the land in their attempt at an NSIP?
The answer is clear it would depend on there being a compelling public interest and this would include a consideration of the (at that time) land use. So to shorten the answer if TDC and partner were successful in turning it back into an airport Riveroak would be buggered.

Finally on a lighter (sic) note the two errant Northwood Councillors have made it into the papers again this time on charges of theft and in Councillor Smith's case assault as well.
Link to Gazette article Thanet Gazette

The leader of the Council responded
" "Neither the council nor I was aware of these criminal proceedings until yesterday. Nor had we been given the extent of medical information revealed yesterday.
Given their respective reported illnesses, and their need to defend these proceedings and other matters, I do not see how these councillors can properly represent the interests of Northwood ward."The right thing for them to do would be to resign as councillors, for the benefit of the people of Ramsgate, and for the sake of their own health."

Finally someone remarked to me that Collins and Smith were "the gift that keeps on giving" however I hope that her Agoraphobia and his multiple illnesses clear up so they can be held to account for their failures