Members considered the report of the Director of Regeneration Services which detailed the Airport Working Party’s comments to the final Kent International Airport’s MasterPlan for recommendation to Council for approval.
Moved by Councillor Latchford and seconded by Councillor Wise, Members Recommended:
That the Working Party’s conclusions, including their recommendation that the Council receive the Airport MasterPlan are referred to Council for approval.
The Chairman of the Airport Working Party reported that the group accepted the recommendations made in response to the Kent International Airport Draft Masterplan.
Doug Brown said that the draft masterplan document is of a broad aspirational nature. But it should contain measurable objectives. The Council would like more information on how the airport is going to grow and how that growth is going to impact on the local communities. A revised masterplan should go back to the statutory consultees for re-consulting. The masterplan should receive Government and European Commission scrutiny and for that to happen it had to balance economic development and environmental protection. There was need to look closely at how infrastructure will cope with airport growth and that there was need to show that the current section 106 agreement was being adhered to.
Members of the Airport Working Party then asked to be informed of the results of the first consultation. They also asked the Panel to commend the recommendations to Cabinet. Panel Members said that that the local communities had particular concerns regarding night flying, flying over homes and environmental issues they wanted addressed.
Members agreed to commend the recommendations to Cabinet.