Thanet District Council has received another application for night time flying from Manston Airport.

The documents submitted by Infratil, owners of the airport, detail proposals for a new night-time flying policy and also include an aircraft noise assessment report and economic assessment, which are technical reports, explaining the implications of the proposal. The documents were submitted to the council on Thursday, 27 October 2011.

The current planning permission for the airport includes a S106 agreement which bans all scheduled night flights during the hours between 11pm and 7am. Infratil have made a number of applications to have this restriction lifted.

This latest application follows on from previous proposals for night time flying which were submitted to the council by the airport in September 2010.

The issue of night flights is not without controversy with a number of websites springing up to object to the proposals. However it is also claimed that night flights would boost business and provide jobs while it is also claimed that without them the airport may close.

Thanet District Council will be seeking an independent assessment of the latest proposals and technical reports by an external company before public consultation on the proposal can begin.

A full consultation process is proposed to run for a minimum of 12 weeks to ensure that people have the chance to have their say. The starting date of the consultation will be announced on completion of the independent report.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Bob Bayford, said: The council is committed to ensuring that local people have plenty of opportunity to comment on these proposals. We know this is a hugely important issue, especially for those living under the flight path, so will be providing a minimum consultation period of 12 weeks for people to have their say. Before this process begins we will be seeking an independent assessment of Infratil’s supporting reports, and will publish the findings. I’d like to encourage everyone with a view to ensure they take the time to participate.