‘Incomplete, unjustified and not prepared in accordance with national planning policy ‘

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.

RiverOak Strategic Partners has announced that their statutory pre-application consultation will start on Monday 12 June, directly after the General Election.

RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited (“RiverOak”) has been engaging with Thanet District Council, in order to pursue a project to revive Manston Airport as a successful and profitable airfreight hub. We believe that the airport will be a huge benefit to the local community, with job creation and increased local industry, as well as complimentary passenger and engineering services.

We know that there is considerable interest in the formation and funding of RiverOak Strategic Partners, particularly the identity of our investors and we understand that this is born of a desire by many local people to feel confident that the DCO can proceed successfully and Manston can reopen as swiftly as possible.

Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee and Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Trade and Investment amongst MPs briefed by RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) yesterday on their plans for Manston Airport.

Mr Cain’s evidence sought to illustrate how RSP’s proposals for Manston Airport will depart from the unsuccessful business models of previous owners of the airport, by placing an explicit emphasis on the need for diversified income streams, underpinned by a state-of-the-art cargo operation serving dedicated freighters importing and exporting a range of perishable…

In response to a question during the Lothian Shelf planning appeal, George Yerrall, a director of RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited (RSP), confirmed that RSP, a UK registered company, purchased all rights and interests in the Manston project from RiverOak Investment Corp in December 2016.

RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited (RSP) is preparing for the next stage of consultation on proposals to reopen Manston Airport.

In December, the Planning Inspectorate confirmed that Section 53 authorisation (permission to access the Manston Airport site) was granted. On Tuesday 7 February the environmental team working on the Manston Airport DCO visited the site to assess it for the production of the Environmental Statement that will accompany the DCO application. RiverOak would like to thank the airfield security team for their assistance during the visit.

On Monday 19 December the Planning Inspectorate confirmed to Bircham Dyson Bell, lawyers for RiverOak, that Section 53 authorisation (permission to access the Manston Airport site), has now been granted.

A pre-action letter from RiverOak lawyers Bircham Dyson Bell challenging Thanet Council’s recommendation to withhold its report and planned discussion in relation to “Change of Use appeals – Manston Airport” from the press and general public has been rebutted by the council.

RiverOak has made numerous attempts to contact Thanet Council officers on at least four separate topics relating to RiverOak’s plans for Manston Airport and proposed DCO application. All of which have, to date, gone unanswered.

On Friday 28 October, planning consultants RPS issued a letter, on behalf of RiverOak, to Kent County Council highlighting a number of points in relation to KCC’s consultation on their draft Local Transport Plan, particularly on the issue of maximising the use of existing regional airport capacity.

Bircham Dyson Bell, solicitors for RiverOak, have today sent a letter to Madeline Homer, Chief Executive of Thanet Council, highlighting the RiverOak professional team’s concerns both with the methodology and findings of Avia Solutions report and the manner in which it is being considered by the council in connection with the Local Plan process.