Representation by Peter Lane
- Date submitted
- 22 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I and my family are against this expansion. Although we are told that more jobs will be created, there will need to be an inevitable major house building programme to accommodate the extra workforce. The surrounding area - and further afield into the south east - is under severe pressure from lack of infrastructure; doctors; dentists; school places, and "shot" roads. Water supply and sewerage disposal are both lacking in resource management planning, and the Environment Agency have officially designated the south east as severely water stressed. Pollution will increase exponentially; wildlife and the wider environment will suffer. The motorway system will not be able to cope with the massive increase in traffic movements, and inevitably, we will see gridlock on an ongoing basis, to the detriment of the local populace. To achieve net zero, we are constantly being told by government, that a constituent part of this aim will be that we MUST FLY LESS. This proposal contradicts 100% this aim. Electrically powered aircraft are generations away and the problems currently unfolding with electric cars will be exacerbated with flight solutions. The battery weight issues alone - which is currently a major issue with lorry redesign - will have the effect of needing a major rethink of airplane fuselage design and may potentially cause weight issues which will translate in lesser passenger numbers per flight, and therefore, more flights. The effect of night flying will have detrimental effects on residents across large parts of the south east, which must be taken into account seriously. We vehemently oppose this planning application which - if approved - will change the face of large parts of Kent; Sussex; Surrey, and London. To conclude, I also ask you to undertake risk assessments into the methodology; implications, and impact of emergency planning when there will be no emergency runway available. Profit cannot be allowed to override safety.