Representation by Dr.R.L.Symonds
- Date submitted
- 8 September 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
- The proposal would damage the health and well-being of Thanet citizens and have no national advantage
- Resulting noise, day and night, and
- Pollution,
- are the areas I concentrate on.
This proposal would be seriously detrimental to the health and wellbeing of Thanet citizens, and have no national advantage.
The proposed 17,1100 ATM/yr , with no enforceable cap, could result in at least a flight every half hourly. I have frequently been in Ramsgate Harbour, in the short time there was flying from Manston, when a single incoming aircraft in an altitude of few hundred feet each noon, made conversation impossible, so it is horrifying to contemplate the proposal of cargo flights day and night. After Brexit, holidaying may revert to traditional British seaside resorts, but Thanet would then suffer from the incessant noise over the beaches.
The effect of noise day and particularly night, has a measurable and severe effect on health, mental and physical. There is a large medical literature on the subject. Detrimental effects were found near Heath Row from an average of 63Db (log scale), whereas levels of 100 Db were regularly measured in Ramsgate when the airport was in use. The proposer’s single study on noise cited , was based on a very small sample of respondents. In 1978, when living in Mereworth, I gave expert evidence, using Tarnopolsky’s research on noise, to the West Malling Aerodrome Inquiry, which proposed comparable ATMs, and argued that mental illness would increase considerably and put intolerable pressure on local GPs. The Inquiry decided against flying. Thanet now has fewer GPs per population than West Malling had.
As most cargo flights are at night, night flights would be inevitable here: the proposer’s assessment estimated 8 per night , but in the worst case, 23 flights per night. I am greatly concerned of the likely effect of night flights on children here, when research in Germany has shown a detriment in education occurring in children within the Munich Airport noise contour. Chronic aircraft noise exposure in children impairs reading comprehension and long-term memory and may increase blood pressure (Stansfield, BMJ 2003). In the future our citizens would then lack the skills needed for employment and the whole area would further deteriorate.
Particulates and nitric oxide pollution would greatly increase, and we now know of the serious effect in cities of this pollution on children’s intelligence and respiratory health, in particular atopic children predisposed to asthma, so it seems reckless to inflict the same here, resulting from flights and the consequent increase of lorry movements.
Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights would inevitably be engaged.
Thanet is a deprived area. We do not need further disbenefits to our health, wellbeing and the ability to meet challenges in the future