Representation by John Byng
- Date submitted
- 7 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a nearby resident of Gatwick airport and I am concerned by the climate change and local environmental impacts of the proposal as well as by the economic implications of making employment in the region further dependant on Gatwick. The climate change impacts are obvious and instead of growing aviation we should be restricting it. There are possible opportunities to reduce the climate impact of aviation but they are long term and may well fail so, in the meantime, all growth should be curtailed. Even when new technology opens the possibility of reductions in the impact of aviation it seems probable that the technology should be employed first on more vital activities such as the delivery of public services such as health and education rather than enabling the relatively rich to continue flying cheaply. Covid has demonstrated that the Gatwick region is already vulnerable by reason of over-reliance on aviation for employment. Every effort should be put into ensuring the economic recovery of the region in a way that reduces this over-reliance. Prior to covid, employers in the region were struggling to fill vacancies and to develop their businesses because of the large number of unskilled jobs offered by Gatwick. The post covid decline in aviation has provided an opportunity to rebalance the local economy away from aviation and that opportunity must be seized and not thwarted by even more low skilled jobs at Gatwick. The South East is already an overcrowded region with consequent road congestion, pollution, flooding and housing problems. The proposed development at Gatwick would add considerably to these problems. I trust that these views will be taken into account and I have no objection to them being made public in my name. I have given my address, for your information, but this and my email address should not be made public.