Representation by David Leigh Jones
- Date submitted
- 27 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
There are several issues affecting people living in Mole valley. Our roads are already destroyed after years in neglect. Doubling the road use for passengers is going to add to it. LGW contributes no taxes to Surrey. Tax payers in Surrey have the worst effects of the airport, noise, pollution, heavy traffic, light pollution and yet we as tax payers fund the business of the airport to compensate their effects on our environment. None-volatile particle emissions from jet engines are beginning to be recognised to have serious heath consequences that need investigation. I recommend LGW are forced to pay for a full independent review of these emissions and the long term effect on our health. During Covid the air was so much cleaner without flights. We need to be sure LGW expansion is not going to cause long term health issues before going ahead. After all it’s our health that suffers, for what, profits for some foreign business owner? In addition LGW needs to commit to significant infrastructure cost BEFORE capacity increase is commenced. I would like to see LGW paying for a new train link between LHR and Gatwick, road investment in towns affected by the traffic so putting road tunnels to bypass Dorking, Reigate and Redhill town centres. Long term parking being accommodated on 60% ( including increased demand) less land than currently by building multi level sub terrainian parking with there roofs and existing tarmac parking returned to green spaces. In addition a governance cap of parking fees at below the market cost of 3rd parties, scrap the airport drop off fees. Our streets are full of airport parking, where it is cheaper to get a taxi from Dorking than pay LGW rip off prices. Again we suffer, with no benefit. Roads filled with long term parking, residence introduced parking bays (povey cross for ex) . So tax payer pay to implement, residence pay to use, local visitors get parking fines all to support a commercial business! Not to mention the CON fused party aim to “level up”, LGW expansion flies (no pun intended) in the face of this strategy. Gatwick is big enough. They abuse the flight paths, flying further north on the west bound route all the time. The air traffic rate and noise is constant, loud long haul flight wake us up early each day. LGW is already too big, share the load closer to the flying public and allocate more flights away from LGW to region airport that need to grow to survive. Let’s reduce LGW capacity by 30% and make it manageable for the people that live in Surrey.