Representation by Cary Charman
- Date submitted
- 16 September 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
With this new runway, Gatwick seeks over 101,000 extra flights a year (285,000 to 386,000), with 76m passengers (from 46.6m in 2019) travelling on the M23 and residential roads, and one of the worst railway lines in the country (which can’t be expanded). The bill for the new station at Gatwick Airport (which does not increase capacity of the line) was paid mostly by taxpayers – but now commuters must pay Gatwick £5 or more to use it! This new runway brings very few benefits, if any, for residents of Sussex, Surrey, and Kent. Time and time again we have seen airports promise economic benefits and jobs, but they never seem to materialise. So, with automation and higher fares for bucket-and-spade flights, we can expect to see jobs disappear when Gatwick is hit the hardest again – as history has shown with the 2008 recession, COVID, and cost of living. As a local resident, I oppose it wholeheartedly.