RiverOak resubmits development plans for Manston Airport

0
198
Manston Airport before it was closed in 2014


RiverOak Strategic Partners has resubmitted its application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to acquire and develop Manston Airport.

The DCO application seeking development consent and compulsory acquisition powers over the site was originally submitted to the government Planning Inspectorate (PINS) at the beginning of April but it was withdrawn in early May to satisfy PINS’ requests for further information about certain parts of the application related to funding, categorising the project as being of national significance and environmental statements.

RiverOak Strategic Partners director, George Yerrall says the original application ran to 11,000 pages and was the culmination of 27 months of work so RiverOak was disappointed that the PINS felt the application fell short.

He says: “Nevertheless, we have taken up all the points raised by PINS and, working with our full team, we have used the past nine weeks to provide full and comprehensive responses to those points. We have also taken the opportunity to clarify the situation in relation to the two museums.

“We are promising to safeguard their position, as before, but have now made it clear that any future development consent relating to either museum would be a matter for Thanet District Council, rather than PINS.”

He says the new submission incorporates all the additional work and Yerrall believes the amended document is sufficient to justify the DCO application to move on to the next stage.

The Kent airport closed in May 2014 and RiverOak wishes to reopen the airport, envisioning it as a major international cargo hub as well as offering passenger flights.