Open Letter to Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner.

Dear Messrs Musgrave and Cartner,

Well, now you are majority shareholders of Manston Airport. We wonder if Anne Gloag and Pauline Bradley have told
you the truth about what you were buying into, and the consequences. There may be more grief than they explained .
We wonder if you were informed that you were buying into an on-going court-case, and possibly associated legal costs,
involving a highly popular local aviation firm, with a current 50 year lease on their premises on the airport, who are
currently denied access to the runway?
Were you informed of the popularity and history of the two Aviation related museums? What is your position regarding
their leases? Are you in favour of them extending their sites? RiverOak is; they appreciate their contribution to the
tourist trade of Thanet and historical importance of their displays, and are only too happy for them to stay, in an
aviation related setting, whereas they have been left in limbo by the previous shareholders.
What about the situation regarding Bristows Search & Rescue, who have just gained the UK contract, and were
intending to locate at Manston? The English Channel is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the UK. This
vital service needs to be located at Manston, as it was in the past. In addition, Manston has always been a designated
emergency divert runway, giving planes (of all sizes) a safe haven with (what was) one of the most experienced aviation
fire crews in the country.
I am writing on behalf of the Save Manston Airport group, and on behalf of a number of other pro-Manston Airport
groups, with a membership of nearly 23,000 good Kentish and Thanet people. 2015 will see the centenary of Manston
Airport (I suggest you research its proud history) and plans were already underway to celebrate that before Mrs Gloag
purchased the airport. We consider it to be the second home of the Red Arrows who have thrilled us over many years.
We intend to have Manston airport here considerably longer. Manston has looked after us, and we intend to look after
Manston. It has a past. It also has a future.
Let us consider next your statements in the recent statement to the media; we note the repeated uses of "belief" and
"we think", and lack of a detailed plan :
Labours youngest (and probably most inexperienced) district councillor, Will Scobie, like many others, appears to have
been bamboozled by Mr Musgraves "4000 jobs" statement, which of course does not apply to Manston at all. This
future jobs statement is embedded in a long description of what you have done and hope to do at Wynyard Park :
Appendix [1] - Transcript of Mr. Musgraves talk.
It is clear that it is Wynyard Park (not Manston) you appear to be talking about when you say "up to 4000 jobs" on site
(not new ones) - Wynyard Park started in 2005. By 2008 there were "nearly 1000 jobs" on site. By 2014, after nearly a
decade, there were "over 1000 jobs" - and it is clear that many of these have just re-located locally to take advantage of
the government subsidies that are available, especially to areas such as Enterprise Zones, so how many new jobs have
actually been created? So it is easy to say over 1000 jobs, is "up to 4000 jobs"..........
But this is no real guide as to how many new jobs are likely for Thanet or on what time-scale. Do you just want to empty
Ramsgate and the surrounding area of businesses and transfer them to Manston? And what sort of businesses do you
want to attract, as that is not actually clear? It is easy to say we have had other businesses which werent in the science
and technology arena who I believe want to come and locate in East Kent; so who are these businesses? What type of
businesses are we to expect at Manston that cannot be catered for at Discovery Park? Presumably not the high-quality
jobs that Will Scobie is hoping for? Believing is one thing ... giving us hard facts is apparently another.
Nor, apparently, can we expect them immediately either. It would appear that you are thinking of an at least two year
time-scale to even start the project. It is interesting to note that major house building for over 140 or so houses is only
starting at Wynyard Park after nearly 10 years into the project. This sounds like land-banking to us.
Nor does the "100% occupancy" claim at Wynyard Park stand up. Empty - 50 houses, at prices approaching 3m, as are
complete multi-part business units - See Appendix [2] - Wynyard Park.
You may not be aware, but Thanet has plenty of empty
business properties already there is a surfeit of empty
premises. I have had a look at list of Thanet Business
Premises, obtained by Nigel Keatley from a FOI request
to TDC.
I note that a total 562 Thanet Business Premises are
empty, with a total rateable value of 4.3m, compared
with 4216 are occupied, with a rateable value of 83M.
So, more than 13% of the Business Premises in Thanet
are standing empty, and furthermore, it would seem
that buildings at Discovery Park have already been
demolished, presumably because of unoccupancy and
the levy of business rates. Plotting the empty business
premises in Thanet by postcode on a 3D map gives the
following infographic :

And it is not just the existing empty business premises that you are competing with what about the 104 acres of land
that KCC own just to the North of Manston Airport, Manston Park, that is so far unused, or the 200 acres off the Haine
Road, near the Saga building at Westwood?
Why, with all this potential space do you want Manston Airport? Because that is what it is, an airport. No change of use
has been agreed, so despite your claims to the contrary, you have become directors of an airport. The (now) minority
shareholders have done their best to sell its assets but it is still an airport on paper and in the heart of this close
community. What overriding imperative is there that we should accept the erasure of the fourth longest of the London
civilian airfields, with the knock on effect that will lead soon to the demolition of homes near Gatwick or Heathrow?
Why, when the answer to the congestion of the London airports could so easily be solved by transferring the cargo
operations to Manston? We have testimonies from companies which would be only too happy to return to Manston to
(re)commence cargo operations (no stacking and 80 minutes to unload and back in the air), and we have evidence that
business was actually turned away from Manston. Manston had a name second to none for the quick turnaround of
perishable goods and these companies are not happy with their current arrangements. The business is there, waiting.
And why would you be against keeping the runway, which your very own MD said is invaluable in bringing clients to the
Discovery Park ? : easy access to motorways, rail, airports and ports all add to the appeal of our site. And there is a
similar knock-on effect upon the viability of producers and sellers of perishable goods across the whole of Kent.
So, our proposal is that you consider working with RiverOak, to provide an Aviation related Business Park/Enterprise
Zone in conjunction with a fully operational airport. RiverOak are confident they can re-open Manston in 2015/16 as a
Sky Port and Integrated Aviation Services Hub. Immediate investment and jobs within a very short space of time, rather
than at some indefinite period in the future, with the community behind you, rather than opposing you.
There is, as I said above, much land going spare right near the airport, without a need to tear up one of the premier
runways in Europe. You know well the Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics aspect that both Cabinet Minister
Grant Shapps and RiverOak talk about make it an Aviation related campus! You are described as entrepreneurs, so be
brave. Do not try to husband this aspect at Discovery Park in Sandwich, give some to Thanet as well it is certainly
needed urgently as this is an area of high unemployment and deprivation. MRO facilities at Manston could be the basis
of a high-tech regeneration for Thanet as well as the Pfizer phoenix. Do this and you will have our support!
We seek an early public meeting between all our groups and yourselves, to discuss these matters.
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Dr. Beau Webber
Director - Lab-Tools Ltd. (Materials-Science, Nano-Science), Canterbury & Ramsgate
Chairman Save Manston Airport group
Gary Easton
Ex-manston staff
Written with the support and approval of the following pro-Manston Airport groups, with ~23,000 total membership :
Save Manston Airport group, Supporters of Manston Airport group, Why Not Manston group, Think Support Manston
group, Manston Works group
CC. Grant Shapps, Sir Roger Gale, Laura Sandys, Iris Johnston, Paul Carter, Mark Norman, Kathy Bailes, Rebecca Smith.
Appendix [1] - Transcript of Mr. Musgraves talk.
Yeah, this is a huge opportunity for East Kent. Obviously we own Discovery Park. Discovery Park is a science and
technology park; weve had....its 235 acres its been hugely successful over the last 24 months and is continuing to be,
but we have had other businesses which werent in the science and technology arena who I believe want to come and
locate in East Kent. The 800 acre site at Manston very much reminds me of my site in Teeside, Wynyard Park, which is
one of the biggest success stories Teeside has had. Its 100% occupied, weve attracted hundreds of millions of of
private investment to it and its created the right environment for companies to come which will, I believe, that that site
will end up having 4000 people working on it. Now its going to take time we all gone need to work together on that and
were not in the business of over promising and under delivering but we have done this before. Weve done it at
Wynyard Park were in the process of doing it at Discovery Park and I believe we can do it at Manston.
Appendix [2] - Wynyard Park.
Wynyard Park : Creation in September 2005
Wynyard Parks green dream - Sunday, 16th December, 2007
The developer of Wynyard Park is embarking on a bold new plan that could see the creation of a 2000 home eco-village
on the site.
The original plans included 2000 houses, a 3* hotel, and a 5* modern business hotel. There was a further plan to build a
464 million state-of-the-art hospital. It was reported locally (for example Sunderland Echo on 2010-03-26) that a
billion pound woodland development that could create 12,000 jobs, 2000 homes and business, leisure and community
facilities was planned.
Wynyard Park welcomes planning decision - Friday, 7th December, 2007
Wynyard Park, the prestigious 700-acre development that recently had ambitious plans for three million square feet of
office space on the site backed unanimously by Hartlepool Council, has been very encouraged by the interest shown
already in the project.
2008 : To date almost 40 companies have moved to the site and almost 1000 people now work there and this success
has helped promote the wider area with positive spin offs for the Tees Valley.
Between summer 2007 and September 2008 over 78,000 sq ft of office space alone was taken up, representing a
significant proportion of all the office take up completed last year in the Tees Valley area.
2014 - We note that there are currently 50 houses/apartments available for sale, up to prices around 3m.
2014 - Wynyard Park is currently home to around 60 companies, from PLCs to one-man bands, employing more then
(sic) 1,000 members of staff between them.
Empty :
TV120 - built in a single phase to the highest specification all 8 units currently available, empty.
Wynyard Park Business Village Offices 1,2,3,4 & 7 currently available, empty.
Wynyard Park House - Suitable for 1-40 people - Serviced office currently available, empty.