Representation by Antony Gordon
- Date submitted
- 27 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The proposed massive expansion of Gatwick airport is gratuitously unnecessary and will massively increase carbon emissions from multiple points of view: construction, land-based transport and aircraft emissions. Plans for low emission aircraft are in essence mythological and where they depend on future 'biofuels' they will inevitably divert productive land away from growing food. Pollution will increase considerably from both land-based transport and aircraft. The pretence that everyone will be travelling in EV cars is a shot in the dark given the limited supply of important minerals such as lithium and cobalt that remain available – we live on a planet with finite resources. Noise pollution will increase substantially. Jet engines, however they are configured must inevitably produce high level noise. Any expansion must include a total ban on night time flights to give at least some respite to those living nearby to the airport. There will even be a noise issue – much less in comparison – as far out as our village which lies beneath one of the regular circulation points. At busy times when aircraft are queued for landing there is already a lot of relatively low but still noticeable aircraft noise as well as larger aircraft coming in from Middle Eastern countries. This project is all about increasing profits for Gatwick shareholders at the expense of everyone else.