Threat to Rochester Airport
What follows is the text of a letter we sent out to all residents on the Davis Estate, Chatham during the week commencing 23 rd August
We have recently learned of the plans to re-develop what is now Rochester Airport. The plan is to replace the airport by a commercial "science and technology" complex, plus around 200 houses or other dwellings.
Your Residents' Association is deeply concerned at the Council's proposals, which have only just come to light and with a very short time-scale (rather "conveniently" timed to coincide with the summer holiday period) to raise any objections.
DERAC is holding a Public Meeting to discuss these proposals: this will be next Thursday (26th August) at 7.30 pm in the DERAC Community Centre, Barberry Avenue. Please do make the effort to attend, as the impact of such a development on all of us will be great. This is the time to make your voice heard, so that we are not steam-rollered by the short time-scales involved. For one thing, the changes are due to begin taking place only a matter of months from now, in May 2000!
I really do hope that you will attend.
As a kind of "straw poll" we are asking that all members of your household tick the box overleaf to say whether or not you are in favour of developing the airport site. We shall collect the tear-off form in the next day or so. If you support the "no change" viewpoint please display the poster overleaf.
Yours sincerely
Mrs J Patching (Chairman, DERAC)
On the reverse of the letter was a tear-off form allowing up to six householders to cast their individual votes for either option (airport or development) and a small poster they could display for passers-by to see the extent of feeling on this subject:
The overall response from the approximately 1,300 residences on the estate has been that over 98% of respondees wished to retain an airport facility and only 7 individuals (less than 2%) were in favour of development of the site. There have also been a number of returns from interested parties around the Medway Towns but not living on the Davis Estate, all wishing to retain a viable airport.
We have also put A3-size posters up in shop windows and other prominent places around the estate, (originally including attached to lamp-posts, but the Council has clamped down on us heavily, interestingly) as below:
If you would like to make an input to the ongoing debate, please pass your comments to the Secretary using any of the contact methods given below. However please be aware that telephone contact might necessitate your leaving a message on an answering machine.
Secretarial contact details:
45 Madden Avenue
Davis Estate
Chatham
Kent ME5 9TH
Tel': Medway (01634) 318 422
Fax: Medway (01634) 318 423
Email: johnward@argonet.co.uk
Rochester Airport Group Executive: Main Page
DERAC main Page