Representation by Carol Redgment
- Date submitted
- 20 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The proposed expansion of London Luton Airport (LLA) to 32 million passengers per annum (mppa) from the current cap of 18 mppa (a 78% increase in throughput) will have a significant negative effect on my home and work life, and the public amenity of Bendish. My home in Bendish is approximately 3 miles from the eastern threshold of LLA and 1/4 of a mile from the approach/departure line. My core objections are: 1. All local Councils (excluding Luton Borough Council) oppose the expansion. 2. The Application contains no measures to minimise the impact of building work or operations outside of Luton Borough. 3. There is no long-term plan or compensation within the Application for villages or towns impacted by the expansion that are not within a small defined area. 4. Luton Rising has stated it anticipates creating 12,000 jobs from the expansion. However, it has not provided details on how many jobs will be temporary (e.g. construction), ongoing operations (or the full-time/part-time/occasional split) or in the supply chain outside of the area (e.g. production and shipping of building materials). During the build phase we will be subjected to: 5. Increased traffic through Bendish due to site workers travelling to and from work during peak morning and evening hours. The roads surrounding Bendish are all single track with passing place, it is common to experience a 20-30 minute delay travelling through Whitwell at peak hours due to traffic currently - these 2 villages form a natural route to LLA from the East. 6. The potential for an increase in heavy goods vehicles using local lanes to deliver or remove materials to the site. This will significantly degrade our single-track road infrastructure. 7. Increased noise and pollution resulting from increased traffic. 8. A negative impact on the rural environment, its ecology and its biodiversity. 9. An increased risk of accidents due to the increase in traffic Once the airport is in operation: 10. A potential 78% increase in the number of flights over Bendish and my home. This will curtail my use of local outside space for recreation. 11. Increased aircraft noise pollution and an increased frequency of those intrusions. 12. It is highly likely that we would see an increase in the number of night flights to meet the passenger numbers from a single runway. 13. Increased air pollution and emissions from aircraft. 14. Increase traffic though Bendish and surrounding villages driven by increased passenger numbers. This will increase the strain on our single-track road infrastructure, damage road surfaces and result in accidents and blockages. 15. A negative impact on the rural environment, its ecology and its biodiversity. The Application does not take into account the negative impacts of Luton Rising on the public living and working close to the airport and the outlined compensation for the "Scheme 5" area (if Luton Rising decides that we are within the zone) is derisory. A one-off £4000 contribution to improved noise insulation does not buy many triple glazed windows. Finally, how will this expansion support Government Net-Zero targets? Planting a few hectares of broad-leaf trees, which will take 30 years to mature, is a naive gesture. Only today we are hearing about the need to invest in our steel production facilities to meet Net-Zero targets to ensure that the UK is more economically sustainable post Brexit (and learning from the lessons of the COVID pandemic and the Russia/Ukraine conflict). We don't need more baggage handlers and retail facilities, we need more engineering capability and control of our supply chains. Whilst I appreciate the cash benefit to the Council of championing a larger airport, Luton would benefit from a more diverse economic profile. There are lessons to be learned from the Vauxhall and hat making days of the pitfalls of dependency on a single sector: the boom bust approach to economics is hugely damaging - the Town is constantly bearing the cost of regeneration and never achieves a level of gentrification or vibrancy. Residents are being treated as second class citizens - their quality of life doesn't seem to count for much. Living under the flight path in north Hertfordshire where the outbound traffic due to easterly operations 30% of the air traffic, and tends to be in the summer months, I have a huge amount of sympathy for those residents in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire who experience outbound aircraft noise for 70% of the year. It's intolerable: you can't sleep through it at night; you have an early morning alarm call which sounds like you're in the midst of a battle field; and if outside, any conversation you are having is halted by aircraft noise. At the very least, please take note that long term sleep deprivation isn't good for mental health and all that comes with that. We should be flipping the table: creating spaces that inspire our people, enable them to achieve their aspirations, that focus on quality life experiences.