Hearing Statement
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Hearing Statement Stone Hill Park Ltd. – Matter 10 Economic Development (Policies SP02-SP04 and E01-E03) Issue 7 – Manston Airport Q1. What is the justification for including reference to Manston Airport alongside policies related to the allocation of employment land? Are paragraphs 1.38-1.45 intended to represent supporting text to Policy SP04? The Local Plan does not seek to protect the existing airport use, nor can it lawfully do so, as the Council’s own up-to- date evidence base confirms that “airport operations at Manston are very unlikely to be financially viable in the longer term and almost certainly not possible in the period to 2031” (AviaSolutions Report, paragraph 2.5) the airport is very unlikely to be financially viable in the longer term and almost certainly not over the plan period. This evidence base comprises three separate reports from credible aviation experts AviaSolutions, two of which specifically respond to comments/concerns raised by third parties. This is consistent with the conclusions of our client's own expert aviation consultants, York Aviation (2019) and Altitude Aviation (2019), both of whom conclude that there is little prospect of the re-opening of Manston Airport being a commercially viable proposition over the plan period (see Enclosures 1 and 2 respectively). The Council therefore correctly concludes that there is no evidence which justifies a policy which would safeguard the Site for aviation use and no such policy is proposed as to do so without evidence would be unsound and fail to meet the minimum requirements for a development plan. The Council’s intention is to replace the previous allocation of the former Manston Airport (SP05) with supporting text at paragraphs 1.38 to 1.45 however this is not appropriate or justified. The purpose of the supporting text or “reasoned justification” in the Development Plan is to explain and justify the approach set out in the policies contained in the document. As there is no policy in the document which relates to the former Manston Airport site there can be no policy basis for paragraphs 1.38-1.45. Policy SP04 relates to Manston Business Park, a site adjacent to but not including the former Manston Airport Site. The proposed text cannot therefore justify or support Policy SP04. Q2. What is the status regarding the proposed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project? How does its timescales align with the Local Plan Examination? A DCO has been accepted and must now be properly scrutinised and examined in accordance with a separate legislative process. The emerging Local Plan cannot ‘prejudice’ whether it is approved or not. Likewise, the Government has confirmed that the Local Plan must proceed and should not be delayed for the DCO process to be concluded. The Regulation 19 version of the emerging Local Plan replaces Draft Policy SP05 (which allocated the former Manston Airport site for mixed use redevelopment including at least 2,500 homes) with supporting text which states the site is not allocated for any specific purpose to ensure that the NSIP-DCO process is not ‘prejudiced’. There has not been a fair analysis of the development alternatives and no reasonable explanation has been given for rejecting Policy SP05. The DCO will be determined through a separate process and must meet all necessary tests under the Planning Act 2008 (as amended), which does not require presumption in favour of the development plan and does not apply s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 in the same way that planning applications are considered, in order to be granted. The emerging Local Plan cannot ‘prejudice’ whether it is approved or not. Likewise, the Government has confirmed that the Local Plan must proceed and should not be delayed for the DCO process to be concluded. Q3. What are the implications for the Plan should the Development Consent Order be approved? Even if the DCO application is approved, which SHP consider remains unlikely, there is no evidence to suggest that the airport would re-open on any significant scale. As part of the Local Plan evidence base the Council instructed an Heading: SHP Response to Matter 10 independent report on the Commercial Viability of Manston Airport (September 2016) by AviaSolutions (the AviaSolutions Report) (Appendix 8) which considered whether viable airport operations could be re-instated on the former Manston Airport Site and concludes that, even applying assumptions favourable to Manston Airport, “airport operations at Manston are very unlikely to be financially viable in the longer term and almost certainly not possible in the period to 2031” (paragraph 2.5). Following consultation on the Proposed Revisions to the Preferred Options Draft Local Plan, the Council instructed AviaSolutions to review and respond to the representations received concerning the future of the airport site and, in particular, the 2016 AviaSolutions Report. This took the form of the following two reports, which also comprise part of the local plan evidence base: • Review of Azimuth & Northpoint Forecast for Manston Airport (August 2017), which considers the cases put forward for the re-opening of Manston Airport by Azimuth Associates and Northpoint on behalf of RiverOak Strategic Partners, and concludes that neither report puts forward a sufficiently credible case, nor provides the evidence, for AviaSolutions to change its views on the financial viability of Manston Airport; and • Local Plan Representations Final Report (August 2017) by AviaSolutions, which likewise advises that Local Plan Representations do not make a credible case, nor provide the evidence for AviaSolutions’ to change its views on the financial viability of Manston Airport. Based on updated market information since the publication of the 2016 study, they continue to advise that Manston Airport does not represent a financially viable investment opportunity under normal market conditions. This is consistent with the conclusions of our client's own expert aviation consultants, York Aviation (2019) and Altitude Aviation (2019), both of whom conclude that there is little prospect of the re-opening of Manston Airport being a commercially viable proposition over the plan period (see Enclosures 1 and 2 respectively). The overwhelming evidence is that there is no prospect that even should the DCO be granted, the airport would actually be delivered as conceived. The implication of DCO application being granted would therefore be the continued sterilisation and underutilisation of the district’s largest redundant brownfield site, while the District’s housing needs are directed to un-sustainable greenfield locations which have not been demonstrated to be achievable, viable and deliverable over the course of the plan period. Q4. What are the implications for the Plan should the Development Consent Order be refused? Should the Development Consent Order be refused, and SHP’s position is that it will indeed be refused, the Local Plan will have failed to properly plan for development needs in the District, prioritising the allocation of the District’s best agricultural land on sites with insufficient evidence of deliverability, instead of supporting the comprehensive sustainable redevelopment of the District’s largest redundant brownfield site. Q5. If a Local Plan Review is required, is it clear to decision-makers, developers and local communities when this would happen? Is there a clear mechanism to ensure a timely review of the Plan, which currently refers to a ‘minimum’ period of 2 years? Text at paragraph 1.45 states that “in the event that a DCO or CPO process is not accepted or granted, or does not proceed, the Council will need to consider the best use for this site, in the next Local Plan review after a minimum of two years.” Putting to one side that this text has limited (if any) weight as it does not support any proposed development policy, the current wording does not provide sufficient certainty regarding the timing of when a Local Plan review must take place; it could be interpreted as requiring a review within 2 years or after a minimum of 2 years has elapsed. Furthermore, it is inconsistent with the recent direction by the Secretary of State that a review of the Local Plan must take place 6 months after adoption of the local plan (Letter Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, 28th January 2019). This action is intended to “ensure full and effective coverage of housing provision to give clarity to communities and developers about where homes should be built” (ibid). Q6. Is it clear how a decision-maker would react to a proposal for new development at Manston Airport prior to a review of the Plan? The Local Plan does not seek to protect the existing airport use, nor can it lawfully do so, as the Council’s own up-to- date evidence base confirms that “airport operations at Manston are very unlikely to be financially viable in the longer term and almost certainly not possible in the period to 2031” (AviaSolutions Report, paragraph 2.5) the airport is very unlikely to be financially viable in the longer term and almost certainly not over the plan period. This evidence base comprises three separate reports from credible aviation experts AviaSolutions, two of which specifically respond to comments/concerns raised by third parties. This is consistent with the conclusions of our client's own expert aviation consultants, York Aviation (2019) and Altitude Aviation (2019), both of whom conclude that there is little prospect of the re-opening of Manston Airport being a commercially viable proposition over the plan period (see Date: 19 March 2019 Page: 2 Heading: SHP Response to Matter 10 Enclosures 1 and 2 respectively). The Council therefore correctly concludes that there is no evidence which justifies a policy which would safeguard the Site for aviation use and no such policy is proposed as to do so without evidence would be unsound and fail to meet the minimum requirements for a development plan.