Representation by Bridget Bell
- Date submitted
- 14 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
OBJECT to the proposed project: SE England is densely populated. There are already too many flights and concentrated flightpaths over residential areas. The health impacts of aircraft noise from the current level of concentrated flightpaths at 10,000 ft and lower on individuals today has not been well enough researched. Building the equivalent of a second runway and perhaps doubling the number of flights, maybe operating 24 hours a day, will need health data on the current operations at Gatwick. This does not exist. 'Modelling' will produce only possible outcomes but not factual ones. As many know from experience, changing operations once implemented is impossible. What then for the hapless thousands upon thousands of individuals who today are living relatively peaceful aircraft-noise free lives? Unimaginable hell, life reduced to an existence. Until the health impacts of aircraft noise and fuel emissions are properly understood, until PBN is properly understood, until airspace modernisation has been properly researched to include in the South East of England expansion plans put forward by Farnborough Airport, Southampton Airport's recently extended runway, London City Airport's proposed extended hours of operation, double overflight for those living under the final approach to both London City and Heathrow Airports there should be no further consideration of any expansion at any airport. Moreover, aviation fuel must be subject to taxation in line with vehicle fuels. Those who fly must be prepared to pay a frequent flyer levy. The taxpayer, many of whom receive no benefit from the aviation industry and many of whom either choose not to fly or cannot afford to fly, should not be subsidising both those who can afford to fly and/or the aviation industry whose business is purely to ensure their shareholders (many of whom are not British) profit well.