Representation by Elizabeth Hamilton
- Date submitted
- 21 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Others will no doubt be submitting detailed and technical comments about the 'Luton Rising' proposals. My comments are very simple. I wish to object in the strongest possible terms to the proposal to expand passenger numbers using Luton Airport to 32 million a year. I have four main reasons for this. I have lived in the village of Nettleden for 27 years, during which time aircraft traffic arriving at and departing from Luton Airport and flying over the village has increased steadily. The prospect of the very substantial proposed increase in passenger numbers and therefore flights is simply appalling. This is otherwise a quiet rural location and the impact of aircraft noise is therefore greater due to the relative absence of ambient noise. The prospect of a substantial increase in night flying is also extremely worrying. This morning (21st June) the early flights began as usual at around 6am and were routed right overhead. There was continuous or near continuous aircraft noise for around two hours until the number of overhead flights decreased. This is a common situation and is especially disturbing in the summer when bedroom windows are open. I am sure that this experience is similar for many rural communities. Climate change is already having significant consequences globally and locally, and flying is meant to be reducing in order to meet net zero commitments. Therefore the proposal for a substantial increase in capacity at Luton makes no sense at all. Road capacity around Luton is already stretched to and beyond breaking point at times. A massive increase in passenger journeys each day on local roads to use Luton Airport is unsustainable. Local town centres are already heavily congested and this becomes even worse when the M1 is affected by an accident or road works. Harpenden town centre, situated on one of the main non-motorway routes to the airport, is already very busy at all times of the day, creating unacceptable conditions for the many users of the high street, including children. Flights to and from Luton Airport are routed over many rural areas as well as urban centres. The local countryside, including the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is highly popular with people seeking quiet informal recreation, and the peace and quiet of these areas is already heavily impacted when flights are being routed overhead or nearby. The main local urban area mostly unaffected by flight paths is Luton itself. These are my main concerns about the proposals and my reasons for concluding that the proposals for expansion at Luton Airport should not be allowed.