Representation by Joanne Dale
- Date submitted
- 8 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I moved to Ramsgate in November 2017. I moved to get away from the noise and pollution of London and have found the fresh air, peace and having a closer relationship with nature to be beneficial to my mental and physical wellbeing.
I have many concerns about this application. I'm primarily concerned about the noise and pollution the cargo hub will bring and the fact that this town I love will change for the worse. I feel after reading the report that the disadvantages by far outweigh the benefits. The local plan says that Manston is not seen as a financially viable option for aviation so I feel this DCO is a thinly disguised land grab.
- The area is important for nature conservation and biodiversity. It has been deemed important enough to be protected under several UK, EU and International laws and conventions. The area contains a number of special areas of conservation and sites of special scientific interest.
The report admits significant adverse effects are likely due to increased noise in communities in the vicinity of the airport and flight paths but maintains that it will not have a significant effect upon the European designated sites for vulnerable wildlife that borders those areas. How can that be? Wading birds are particularly vulnerable to disturbance. The scientific research paper 'Exploring behavioural responses of shorebirds to impulsive noise' indicates that increasing levels of disturbance directly impact breeding and ovewintering success of wading birds.
I'm also concerned about the airport site which has breeding bird species, such as barn owls and grey partridge whose nests RSP propose to relocate. Loss of habitat has been identified as one of the top reasons for the decreased population of birds in UK.
2 As a caregiver I work with vulnerable elderly people. The proposed cargo hub will have a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of my clients. The effects of particles from air pollution are largely to do with inflammation, and noise exposure increases stress levels leading to physiological arousal, such as raised heart rate and blood pressure.
This can lead to increases in established cardiovascular disease risk factors such as blood pressure, blood glucose concentrations, blood fats and even central obesity. And in turn, this can produce sustained elevation of blood pressure and atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries due to fat deposits) and eventually in some people to serious events such as heart attacks and strokes.
There is no cap on flight numbers, nor any cap on night flights. Because peoples bodies still respond to noise during sleep (and it wakes you up), one suggested pathway to ill-health is through repeated sleep disturbance. Being exposed to sound while asleep can particularly affect breathing, body movements, heart rate, and when you wake up. It's most likely to affect the elderly, those in poor health and children. Research has also found that self-reported sleep disturbance is worse when it comes from aircraft noise than road traffic.
3 I do not feel that the consultation with regards to the cargo hub was adequately done. I received no information about it and had no invitation to attend meetings prior to the DCO being submitted.
Thank you for accepting my submission.