In order to prepare for our application for a Development Consent Order to rebuild and reopen Manston Airport we are legally required to make a ‘diligent inquiry’ to establish who owns and occupies the land that will be affected by the project.

To that end, we have instructed land referencing specialists Mouchel to create a list of landowners and their interests, known as the ‘Book of Reference’, which will be one of the documents submitted with the application. In recent weeks, Mouchel has been sending questionnaires to properties to confirm who owns and occupies them.

This is the only purpose for which the information collected will be used: to create the Book of Reference, which is then used to contact landowners and occupiers at the time of the statutory consultation and once the application has been accepted for examination, and potentially at other times between now and a decision on the application.

By completing and returning the questionnaire, local residents can be assured that they will be included in correspondence about the application and be given a chance to participate in it. If they do not return the questionnaire, then they may not be kept up to date about the project and may miss out on the chance to have their views heard.