The new owners of Manston airport should leave the runway untouched for up to four years in case flights become viable again, according Kent County Council’s regeneration chief.

Cabinet member for economic development Mark Dance said he plans to lobby new owners Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave to only build around the edge of the 800-acre site in the near future.

The pair, who also own Discovery Park in Sandwich, revealed aspirations to spend £1bn on redeveloping the site over 20 years when they bought the site this month, creating up to 4,000 jobs.

Yet Cllr Dance fears the county could regret tearing up the runway in Thanet once Dreamland and a Paramount resort open at either end of the county.

He also believes it could be an employer for young people graduating from a future engineering centre being considered by Canterbury Christ Church University.

Cllr Dance said: “I think there is a review to be done in two to three years time because we will have Paramount, which is a high-tech theme park, and Dreamland, which is a retro attraction, so you will have two ends of the scale.

“We need careful masterplanning on Manston, leaving the option of leaving the runway alone for three to four years.

“If you want to go to Paramount then you have got to go to Dreamland. When you have got the high speed Manston Parkway Station between Manston and Discovery Park as well, I think the picture looks better for aircraft in two to three years time.

“I’m mindful of that and I’ll be doing my best to cajole the owners to say ‘don’t shut all the doors yet’ but I fully understand they want to get on with the job in hand.”

Owners Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave were unavailable for comment.