Representation by Pootings Residents Association (Pootings Residents Association)
- Date submitted
- 24 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
Pootings Residents Association (PRA) represents over 60 members and their families who live in Pootings and the surrounding areas of Crockham Hill and Mapleton Road situated in Green Belt land in the district council of Sevenoaks. An expansion of flights to and from Gatwick Airport with flight paths over the area as a result of creating two full runways, increasing passenger turnover from 32.8 million in 2022 to a projected 75 million by the end of the 2030s, will increase the number of flights by over double and increase the noise and air pollution and carbon emissions proportionately affecting the quality of life of residents. Such expansion to the local economy is completely contrary to central Government's plans for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet the Government's net zero target by 2050 and the absolute necessity to reduce carbon emissions to reduce global warming. Many residents and their families regularly visit the nearby Grade 1 listed Hever Castle and its park and gardens situated in the Kent High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to relax and unwind and any increase in the current flights that fly over the castle, often at one every two minutes, will further detract from the real value a visit provides in improving the wellbeing and mental health of local residents and their families. The PRA would urge the Planning Inspectorate to refuse such an extension of Gatwick Airport on the grounds it is contrary to the Government's net zero target for carbon emissions both on the ground and in the air and any increase in noise and air pollution caused by the expansion will further be detrimental to the future mental health and wellbeing of local people at a time when the National Health Service is under immense and severe pressure.