Trevor Cartner speaks with more self-confidence than expected for someone whose latest business venture is at odds with the Prime Minister, local MPs, the council and a sizeable portion of the population.

This month David Cameron said he wants to see Manston airport reopened, while Conservative MPs Sir Roger Gale and Craig Mackinlay were elected in both Thanet seats after releasing a five-point plan to get planes landing on the runway again.

Although Nigel Farage failed to be elected in South Thanet, his party’s pledge to reopen the airport saw Ukip take control of Thanet District Council – a feat it has never achieved before.

Its new leader Chris Wells wasted no time in saying he would press ahead with plans for a compulsory purchase order (CPO), with the council agreeing to review the original decision during a meeting which lasted just 15 minutes.

RiverOak, the US firm which tried to buy Manston three times before it closed, has pledged to cover all legal costs and says it could turn it into a freight-focused operation if a CPO is successful, although few details of any plans have emerged.

Mr Cartner, sitting in the back of a cab in London, is unwavering when asked how confident he is in his proposals, which would turn the 800-acre site into an array of houses, offices, factories and leisure facilities, creating 4,000 jobs.

“It didn’t surprise us that the airport was central to the campaign of many politicians,” said Mr Cartner, who owns an 80% stake in Manston with his business partner Chris Musgrave.

“There is still this post-result euphoria. Let’s get down to business, meet the council, show them our masterplan and persuade them of the benefits of it."

Mr Cartner and Mr Musgrave, who also own Discovery Park business complex in Sandwich, are clear they do not think a CPO will happen.

“I don’t think it’s an appropriate instrument and I don’t think it would work,” said Mr Cartner.

“A CPO is usually used when one party is trying to piece together a site and there is a belligerent owner standing in the way of progress. That is not the case here. Political will doesn’t win a CPO. It is a legal process. They have got to prove their plans are superior to ours, and I just don’t think they are.

“They are not superior on an economic level because the airport has failed to deliver jobs and I can’t see them winning the argument environmentally if RiverOak’s plans are for freight aircraft.

“Socially they don’t win either because our plans are for a proper mixed-use development with state-of-the-art leisure facilities. That’s not just my opinion. We have taken advice on all of this.”

The commercial property entrepreneurs are likely to spend £2 million on planning and released the first information on their Manston proposals this month. Their masterplan document runs to 160 pages, although it is yet to be fully published.

They are prepared for hefty legal costs involved in battling the council over a CPO, which could go on for “many years”.

The property entrepreneurs – who made their name transforming Wynyard Park, near Hartlepool, in a similar scheme to their Manston plans – have not spoken to Sir Roger Gale or Craig Mackinlay since their election.

“I offered to speak to Sir Roger before the election and he refused to take my call,” said Mr Cartner.

“We offered to show him what we have been doing in the north east and he refused to visit.

“We offered to put him in touch with the politicians up there and he refused to make contact. He prefers to tell the world what we have done up there is not very noteworthy.

“We had some encouraging messages from the public when we released the masterplan. We had some messages saying people want an airport but also a huge amount saying this is exactly what Thanet needs.”

Sir Roger Gale claimed Manston airport could employ 2,000 people within two years.

The MP for North Thanet criticised the site’s owners for a lack of detail in plans they revealed to turn the site into a business park and homes.

He also dismissed attacks on the business case of RiverOak, the US group which has said it wants to run Manston as a cargo airport.

The MP also disputed claims that owners Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave’s proposals would create 4,000 jobs.

The pair said council plans to buy Manston using a compulsory purchase order would fail even if they had “all the political will in the world”.

Sir Roger said: “They would say that wouldn’t they. Yes, it is a legal process but it is fairly straight forward. I can’t see the justification for what Cartner and Musgrave are trying to do. They say they’ll create 4,000 jobs over 20 years and they’ve not achieved anything like their targets for Discovery Park or Wynyard Park."

Manston could employ 2,000 people in two years’ time. Bosses at RiverOak say they are “comfortable” they could get the airport running an operating profit within 18 months.

Partner George Yarrel said: “The business plan we’ve articulated involving cargo has gained steam in the airline investment community. We’re more bullish that we were 12 months ago. Our model is quite a bit different than the prior owners in that it doesn’t focus on passengers to get it up and running and profitable.”