It is difficult to see Manston ever becoming a heavily used airport, particularly with regard to night flights, purely and simply because of its proximity to Ramsgate. The runway is pointed directly at the town and ends a couple of fields from the first houses. Noise footprint reproduced below.
The government is engaged in yet another inquiry into Heathrows third runway or an alternative, conveniently arranged to be delivered after the next election. This gets them out of making a decision but they will be stuffed if they get back into power. The proposal for a new airport in the Thames Estuary has been around for almost as long as I can remember, going way back to Maplin Sands in the sixties. Had they bitten the bullet back then it would have saved all the expense of expanding the current airports when it was only ever going to be an interim solution.
This latest idea looks fabulously futuristic but will no doubt come to nothing as with all the rest: