We shouldn’t miss business chance

East Kent needs to attract enterprises capable of creating employment.

Key to that is accessibility. The logistics for the region are poor, even for firms exporting up to half their product produced.

The good news is that the third Thames crossing is progressing and this will make east Kent much more attractive for doing business.

The bad news is that Thanet District Council is not supporting Manston as an aviation freight hub.

Proposing to include Manston in the Local Plan for extensive residential development is really negative and hopefully will never happen.

Manston could be the key to unlock the door to jobs and prosperity.

In Canterbury the retail sector is under pressure. Council proposals to extend traffic restriction (Palace Street Kings Mile-style) to more roads in the City is a very costly scheme which will achieve only increased frustration for many, and not improve business. Increasing the bus lanes and as a result further restricting traffic will not help either.

The much-needed multi-storey car park for Canterbury West remains a repetitive dream.

Building homes without infrastructure is not going to improve residents’ environment, especially if not matched with a job opportunity.

We need accessibility to be improved, not restricted. Local residents need to be actively engaging with what is happening all around us. We need to get to work, get our

Cllr David Hirst (Ukip), Greenhill ward