Representation by Matthew Bailey
- Date submitted
- 17 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
My main concerns that will effect the environment, locally community and myself directly are as follows: 1. increased traffic and congestion to local roads, use of Eaton Green road 1.1. construction traffic / noise 2. air pollution from the increased volume of traffic (and obviously the increase in airport capacity), there is lots of traffic at the moment so additional volume will result in more idling engines. 3. human health risk - ground contamination by excavating of old council tip, particularly as the area is near an aquifer and source protection zone. 4. carbon impact of the increased capacity 4.1 carbon impact from exporting of excess contaminated spoil and / or importing of clean soil. 5. loss of green space within the Luton borough which is being compensated for outside of the borough boundary meaning local residents lose this space. Subsequent impacts of loss of green space on local wildlife (rare orchids) 5.5. loss of the park will impact residents mental health, there is already a lack of green space in the Luton borough. 6. cumulative impact of the surrounding proposals such as solar farm and housing proposed in very close proximity to the airport expansion - even though the airport proposes alternative green space, there will be significantly less green space available in the immediate vicinity. Habitats will become fragmented due to loss of vital wildlife corridors and there are known protected species in the vicinity (great crested newts, birds, flora etc.). 7. noise impacts to local residents from increased capacity, this affects Luton residents and residents of smaller Hertfordshire villages 8. increased surface water flood risk due to loss of greenfield area with built development. The local road drainage networks cannot cope even now with the volume of run off (roads have localised flooding during high rainfall). Airport expansion will exacerbate this.