Thanet has been dramatically cut from film studio plans because of a lack of interest from Thanet councillors, says the entrepreneur behind the scheme.

Chairman and managing director of Wessex Studios Corporation, John Hunter, had proposed to build a £125 million film and TV complex on the former Manston Airport site.

The revelation comes after a planning application featuring 2,500 homes on the 800-acre airfield, to be known as Stone Hill Park, was submitted to the council last week and showed no sign of movie-making facilities.

Mr Hunter says the flagship plans, which had been suggested could create more than 2,000 jobs, were ditched because only one councillor replied to his project submission, telling him it was a good idea.

Speaking to Thanet Extra he said: “I emailed every councillor in June last year but only one replied to me.

“I had a conference call with Madeline Homer and the head of environment in December.

“I am finished with Thanet..." Entrepreneur John Hunter

“I was told it was an interesting idea but there was nothing they could do because they were having internal political problems and support notes could only be authorised by Chris Wells, so she would pass the details to him.

“There was no reply from anyone so I emailed Ms Homer in April, and when I got no reply again, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“I am finished with Thanet. It was a disaster from our point of view and an unbelievable situation created by Thanet District Council (TDC).”

Last June, Stone Hill Park owners Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave said they had met representatives of a consortium looking for an appropriate site for a film studio that included digital and animation businesses.

Although they described it as ‘at an early stage’ they were confident it was a serious proposition.

However, last week their spokesman, Ray Mallon, confirmed the proposals are “dead in the water”, blaming the delays caused by the council considering a compulsory purchase order for the site, which they eventually decided not to pursue.

However, in an email sent to Margate resident and former Green Party general election candidate Ed Targett, Mr Hunter said: “The responsibility for my decision to relocate the 2,000-job £150m Film City Project elsewhere is entirely due to TDC.

“As a result of not obtaining any response from TDC, after me mailing the project to all their 56 councillors and executives over the past year, only one councillor contacted me.

“We decided we could not afford to waste any more time or lose any more investors through TDC.”

Mr Targett said: “I heard about this project last year and wrote a supportive letter to the developer. Thanet needs inward investment and this is a huge-scale project that could have really complemented the creative renaissance going on here.

“Margate, for example, has already attracted a high-profile animation studio.

“Yet, of our 56 elected representatives, just one wrote back to the developers. Yes, this was a project in its early stages, but still a great idea in principle, with some industry backing, at a time of high demand in the sector.

“Someone proposes a £150 million project in an area of high deprivation and just one councillor writes back? Words fail me.”

Mr Hunter has now moved his proposal to a site in Oxford and says he has made more progress in one month than the last year in Thanet.

Thanet District Council spokesman Hannah Thorpe said: “Thanet District Council was approached by Mr Hunter with a suggestion to locate a studio at Manston.

"Quite rightly the council advised Mr Hunter to discuss the suggestion with Stone Hill Park as owner of the site.

"As planning authority it would not have been appropriate for the council to engage with discussions about the site.

“Thanet District Council is renowned as a film-friendly council assisting with more than 500 location inquiries over the past five years. Anyone interested in finding out more about filming in Thanet can visit www.thanet.gov.uk/filming for help and advice on filming in the area.”