The UK Department for Transport has approved plans for RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) to develop Manston Airport in Kent into a cargo hub.
The £500 million investment plans were approved by the UK government after “five long years of detailed scrutiny,” RSP announced, with the Development Consent Order (DCO) received last week.
“The DCO will make it possible for RSP to provide much needed air freight capacity in the South East, help alleviate long term overcrowding in the London airport system and ease road congestion caused by lorries carrying freight through the channel tunnel to European airports,” RSP said in a press release.
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“Manston is unique – because it will be built to be Carbon Net Zero from scratch, enabling us to demonstrate to the Government how it can deliver on its commitment to grow the aviation sector, whilst still meeting its decarbonisation targets,” the company highlighted.
Alongside the work needed to return Manston to operational status, RSP will accelerate its local procurement programme and partnership work with a wide range of business, education, training and local authority organisations, to ensure local people and local businesses can derive tangible economic, employment and investment benefits from a revived Manston Airport.
“I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary army of Manston Airport supporters who have never given up hope of seeing new life breathed into this historic aviation asset. And I would also like to thank our two dedicated local MPs, Sir Roger Gale and Craig Mackinlay, as well as the thousands of supporters who have supported us from the start of the DCO process and have long shared our bold and ambitious vision for the airport,” Tony Freudmann, RSP director, said following the approval.
Read more: RiverOak acquires Manston Airport from Stone Hill
The project is expected to bring in economic and employment stimulus to the area, creating 23,000 jobs across East Kent and the wider economy by the airport’s 20th year of operation.
Surveys, detailed master planning and design work will commence in the next few weeks. Construction will begin later next year, with the Airport operating its first cargo services in early 2025.
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