Representation by Robert John Tillotson
- Date submitted
- 27 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I wish to register my objections to the proposal to expand Gatwick Airport through enabling the use of a second main runway,primarily on the following grounds; 1. Need. I see no need for additional airport capacity at Gatwick that is consistent with the governments policy set out in the Airports National Policy Statement. Traffic at Gatwick is in the vast majority enabling cheap U.K. flights for U.K. holiday makers travelling abroad.it is not business traffic. The benefit of such traffic to the U.K. economy is dubious; it enables huge spending by U.K. consumers abroad,only offset by the income generated at Gatwick and by the Airlines. A proper economic impact study I’m sure would establish that the business case is massively negative for UK PLC. 2. Employment and Economic Factors. The region surrounding Gatwick Airport is mainly blessed with full employment. Any further large scale employment growth concentrated at Gatwick will only exacerbate pressures on local transport,housing,schooling,healthcare and other infrastructure. Employment demand cannot be met by local people;mainly by inward movements,putting pressure on local infrastructure. The economic case submitted is flawed and the overall case when resultant local infrastructure capacity mitigations and improvements have to be made and payed for by local and UK taxpayers, will not benefit U.K. residents,only the largely foreign owners of Gatwick Airport,and the low cost airlines Government policy is to spread infrastructure development around the U.K., not to concentrate it all in the South East; this proposal does the opposite. 3. Climate Impact and pollution. It is impossible to see how such massive growth projections in this proposal can possibly be allowed if the U.K. is to hit or get anywhere near its legally binding climate and emissions targets. The plans would apparently generate over 5% of the UK’s total emissions by 2038 with CO2 emissions increasing by over 50% from 2018 levels.There is no mention of other damaging greenhouse gasses. The Airport needs to be set a net zero target to achieve by 2030,and be monitored each year to ensure its actions are on track to meet the target. Spurious statements by Gatwick on climate change are ridiculous given the serious situation that we find ourselves in,on climate change. New aircraft technology and bio fuels will not materially mitigate the catastrophic emissions built into this plan. Everyone knows this is a fact. Gatwick’s recent public campaign on this issue should be studied to see how disingenuous this issue is taken.Over this planning horizon,growth in flights equals growth in harmful emissions. 4. I live underneath some of Gatwick Airports flight paths. I am subjected to very low and often late night,and early morning flights interrupting sleep and spreading pollution over my area. It was not always like this a few years ago. Attempts to engage with Gatwick Airport or indeed the CAA or Government on flight paths and night time flying are treated with contempt and dismissed out of hand. If this is the attitude now,what hope of meaningful dialogue if this proposal gets the go ahead. I feel the quality of life and health of local residents in the region will be seriously impacted for no local or National benefit. 1. At home I already suffer from excess noise and sleep prevention from over flights.I therefore object to increases in flight numbers at Gatwick. 2. Local schools and communities also suffer the above. This should be reduced not increased through this proposal. Sleep and clean air are key requirements of public health. 3. Gatwick itself and the surrounding infrastructure can hardly handle todays capacity. Increases in flights will add further pressure on everything from roads,parking,and public transport. 4. Increasing capacity at Gatwick does not help U.K. plc . Gatwick is not primarily a business airport. It is primarily a holiday airport shipping U.K. holiday makers abroad. A lot of capacity is for very low cost individual flights. There is no strategic U.K. business value to this.It is of a net loss to U.K. plc as the real spend is abroad,with only Gatwick plc and the airlines benefiting. 5. The U.K. has a legal requirement to hit net zero. The airline business has a big pollution footprint,and it’s fast growing. It must be made to reduce this footprint along with all sectors and individuals. There is no technology on the horizon to materially mitigate this rise in pollution in this planning horizon towards net zero,despite what some may issue in their glossy propaganda. More flights equals more carbon.