The leader of Kent County Council has downplayed the chances of Manston re-opening as an airport, saying that there is no viable business option on the table.

Cllr Paul Carter (Con) appeared to distance the authority from the campaign to save Manston airport, saying the new owners offered an exciting opportunity for the site.

Manston was bought from previous owner Ann Gloag by Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave in September and the pair want to redevelop it as a business park.

Cllr Carter dismissed the offer by the American company RiverOak to be a partner in Compulsory Purchase Order, saying it had “no concrete, sustainable business plan.”

His comments come as it emerged the government has not yet responded to a bid for Manston to be incorporated into the existing Discovery Park enterprise zone - which could allow it to offer tax breaks and discounted business rates.

Mr Carter told a cross-party backbench committee today that Thanet Council had failed to respond to KCC’s request for information on possible partners for a CPO - Compulsory Purchase Order - of the airport.

“It [Manston] really has been put out to the global aviation market ‘big time’ and no prospective owners have come forward, other than RiverOak.

"I have always been concerned Manston airport could fall into the hands of an owner that was completely under-capitalised and did land bank the site because they had no fire power and the airport would languish there for five, 10 or 15 years and east Kent would miss a massive opportunity to do exciting things.”

He said the new owners had a proven track record and were prepared to invest significantly to deliver “an exciting mixed development.”

“I am really optimistic about Manston airport. It really does have the ability to deliver 2,000 jobs as well as some ancillary housing.”

On KCC’s support for a compulsory purchase had been on the condition that there was an “exciting, viable, business proposition” which was based on aviation services.

“To date, we have had no such proposition or business plan from anybody. We have written to Thanet District Council to ask them to submit the plans that came forward - to date, nothing has come forward.”

Meanwhile, the UKIP leader Nigel Farage has called on Thanet council to “get off the fence” over whether to pursue a CPO in conjunction with RiverOak.

He said: “RiverOak has work to do on its plans but from what I have seen so far they have produced a commercially viable proposition.

"They have got the connections. I think they need to be allowed to just get on with it. What we need to see is Thanet council get off the fence and say very firmly that it wants to give it a go.”

Thanet council is due to consider whether to move ahead with a CPO at a meeting next week.