IKS at Manston

Having known Manston for over four decades now and watched its slow decline it was of no surprise to hear that it was going to be turned over to housing, the completion of the dual carriageway alongside seemed to be the trigger for this announcement as both coincided neatly, what I was take aback by was the obscene haste the owner then set about trashing the infrastructure in what some believe was an attempt to circumnavigate any form of meaningful protest, That some very pointed questions have been asked in regards to the local authorities role in this matter and the governments utter contempt for the issue leads one to believe that Manston as a viable location for an airport of any type will soon be gone, Current thinking to open a truck storage area there, badly needed as it might be all adds up to one conclusion, blinkered thinking driven by financial gain on the part of some parties. I am afraid Manston is just a few miles of new track to far for the tories to consider it a viable alternative to Heathrow’s additional runway build, yes the Thanet way is there, but it’s not really built for heavy freight traffic and has other issues around the Faversham area and past planning mistakes in the M2 layout still haunt it daily so Rail would be the only real alternative to tap into HS1 via Ashford, Sorry but that self serving plank Grayling would have a political melt down even considering that idea, In the end Maston has so many strikes against it even though a lot including myself would like to see it operational again, it is doubtful involved parties will ever allow it, they have the upper hand and intend to keep it.

At LHR they are going to knock down 760 houses, shift the M25 and (maybe) the M4 to build a runway so more freight can congest them. Manston has a 10,000′ runway with direct access to the Thanet way and the M2 and was used for freight for years.
mmitch.