Representation by Rachel Gardner
- Date submitted
- 23 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am very concerned by the proposed expansion of Luton Airport and have questions that I would like to ask. My first concern is the environmental impact of the proposed expansion of Luton Airport. The emissions from jet aircraft engines have both direct and indirect impacts on the environment and sustainable aviation solutions are still decades away. Luton Airport owner Luton Rising, in its document on 'Managing and mitigating the effects of expansion', says: "We acknowledge that the scheme will result in additional greenhouse gas emissions which would contribute to climate change." And nationally, the government's own review of its net zero strategy, published in March, showed that the UK will fail to cut emissions enough to meet the government's own goal by 2030. In the face of this, how can it be argued that it makes sense to expand Luton Airport? And when plans to address the environmental impact of the expanded airport include carbon offsetting, a process that is currently far from reliable, how is it proposed to make sure that a carbon offsetting process will be used that is genuinely effective and trustworthy? Noise pollution is also a key concern. I live in an area affected by the introduction of the new flight paths in February 2022 and have since experienced a significant increase in aircraft noise, including loud air braking noise. The noise levels will only get worse if the airport is expanded. The same document named above mentions that there are "measures already in place that address the noise impact of the airport, including the London Luton Airport Noise Action Plan (LLNAP) 2019-2023." These measures are not currently working. That being the case, how can residents in the flight path areas feel any reassurance that future noise action plans to cover an expanded number of flights will be effective?