Representation by Sarah Rhodes
- Date submitted
- 22 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a resident of the village of Bendish and the proposed expansion of London Luton Airport (LLA) will have a significant negative effect on this village in general and on my home and work life. My home in Bendish is approximately 3 miles from the eastern threshold of LLA and almost directly below the approach/departure line. My 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 claims that it will bring new jobs to the area but there is no indication that it will have any positive impact on this community to offset the many negatives. During the build phase we can expect there to be increased traffic, including large vehicles, on the roads around Bendish, which are all single track with passing places and already subject to congestion and delays at busy times: the roads through Whitwell and Bendish form a rat run to LLA from the East. We already suffer from degradation of the local village lanes from agricultural contractors with large vehicles and this will make the situation worse. With the increase in traffic, we would be subject to Increased noise and pollution which would have a negative impact on the rural environment, its ecology and its biodiversity. Once the airport is in operation we would see a significant increase in the number of flights over Bendish and my home with increased aircraft noise pollution, emissions and air pollution. We already suffer with an unacceptable number of night flights in addition to the very busy late evening and early morning periods and we can expect these to increase in line with increases in passenger numbers. This will have a particularly detrimental effect on our ability to sleep during the summer months when we have to have windows open at night to cool the house down. This often coincides with weather patterns where flights take off over this area, creating even higher noise levels. The increase in traffic though Bendish and surrounding villages can be expected to continue after the build phase, driven by increased passenger numbers and greater congestion on the major routes which drives traffic on to small roads unsuitable for heavy traffic. This will increase the strain on our single-track road infrastructure, damage road surfaces and result in accidents and blockages. All of these factors will have 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. Finally, this expansion is in direct conflict with Government Net-Zero targets. The proposal to plant a few hectares of trees, which will take 30 years to mature, is greenwashing at its most cynical.