Representation by Mrs Penny Tyson-Davies
- Date submitted
- 29 September 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Although I consider Gatwick Airport to be an important international link to London and the whole world, it does not serve the rest of the British Isles and does not have the important infrastructure to enable it to do so. Another runway in full use is not feasible for this for the following reasons. The roads and therefore traffic flow cannot be improved without demolishing huge areas of housing and rural communities and the rural lanes are not built to carry so much traffic. There is no lack of employment in the area so to create more employment would mean a need for more housing. There has been regular flooding and road closures around Gatwick. The M23, also leading to the M25 are often gridlocked or just plain overcrowded with long delays. The rural lanes used to be quiet, but they are now overused with traffic speeding and cutting through to try to avoid more traffic. So these once quiet lanes are becoming too frightening now for all vulnerable road users (horse riders, cyclists and walkers). There is continual disturbance to the whole neighbourhood as Gatwick continues to have scheduled night flights which also disturb whatever is left of the farmed and wild animals. In the past, they have promised to reduce or even stop night flying, but this has not happened. At night, light pollution is extremely bad, not only from the airport, but also the huge beams of light from the planes. Some days, air pollution is also very bad and often a film of oil can be seen on puddles of water. We were told that all planes would become quieter - this has not happened either, plus they often deviate from their correct routes. There is no compensation for all this disturbance and they behave in such a cavalier way that they even charge local people to drop off travellers at the airport whether for planes or trains unless you waste time and fuel driving around a distant long-stay car park where travellers then have to get on a bus – ridiculous! I do NOT consider an extra runway to be safe - they would be using the emergency runway which is too close to Hookwood and Charlwood, also Horley, so if an emergency runway has been deemed to be necessary in the past, I do not understand why it is no longer necessary. (The same applies to so-called Smart motorways which most people feel are horribly dangerous too). I am firmly against Gatwick Airport increasing their capacity.