Representation by Kornelia Deppe
- Date submitted
- 22 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
As a Luton resident, I strongly oppose this application because I believe such significant additional expansion will cause further noise pollution in the local and broader area, put an unsustainable strain on local road and rail services, cause 60% more carbon emissions and create irreversible environmental and health damage. People in Luton are already disproportionately affected by poor air quality, directly through airplane emissions as well as associated transport. Luton was named the worst for air pollution deaths in East England. More than one in 18 deaths in the town is related to long-term exposure to air pollution, according to new estimates in the Centre for Cities’ annual study of the UK’s major urban areas. Aircraft emissions affect ambient air quality, specifically the concentrations of O3, NO2, PM2.5 and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) or air toxics. Furthermore, aircraft emissions of NOx and SOx react with ammonia emitted from non-aviation sources to form inorganic PM2.5 such as ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate. The proportion of deaths related to the deadly toxin PM2.5 was reported to be highest in Luton, with the latest data linking it to 93 deaths in just one year. The figure equates to 6.2% of all adult deaths in the town. Through its geographical features, Luton is particularly vulnerable to pollution, as the town’s compactness limits the dispersal of pollution. Many Luton wards are within the top 20% of most deprived areas in England. The airport mainly provides poorly paid jobs for people in Luton. A large number of jobs, such as terminal and apron services are contracted out, creating in-work poverty. Another major source of low pay at the airport is in retail and food outlets where 24/7 shift patterns (with 4 am starts) are normal practice. Despite workers often being in in-work poverty, the airport operator charges the workers to park their cars in the staff car park. Luton has little reputation for providing a good travel experience. Luton Airport is ranked 22 out of 28 airports in the UK for customer satisfaction (Which consumer panel). Almost doubling the throughput of passengers will bring a poor travel experience to even more people. The expansion will be more of a bad thing for travellers, climate, nature and people. I enjoy living in Luton and have built my life in the town. I laude the aims of the airport becoming greener and better, but not by using extension as a condition for these improvements to happen. I am deeply worried that should the extension be granted, living conditions in Luton will become intolerable. Please object to the application.