Representation by Dr Martin Leach
- Date submitted
- 8 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Gatwick already causes significant noise and fume pollution in my area, including vented fuel, causing significant disturbance to local people and wildlife. This is an area of outstanding natural beauty, adjacent to the Ashdown Forest, a vitally important natural reserve. Our wildlife, including the bird population, is under ever increasing pressure, with continual loss of habitats and interference (by noise) with the very important communication between birds. Low flying aircraft are common and very disruptive, with noise penetrating into normal houses and causing disturbance. Gatwick also causes significant light pollution, affecting our ability to see and appreciate the night sky. Local roads and transport links are already beyond capacity, and cannot support further increases in passengers and staff. Local services and accommodation are also saturated, with water companies unable to provide reliable supplies or safely process effluent, as well as concerns about electricity supply and distribution. Health services are now inadequate, including surguries. There is a lack of school places. Gatwick's activities have a wide reaching footprint extending to this area, including remote parking of cars and provision of infrastructure, utilising greenfield sites. Further the need to reduce carbon footprints in this country and elsewhere, linked to both direct fossil fuel consumption, and linked activities in transport and infrastructure, to address climate change and increasing temperatures and associated escalating weather incidents, means that there is no rational basis for increasing airport capacity and use. Gatwick should be planning to reduce such use now, not increase it. In the timescale of the vital reductions in fossil fuel usage and CO2 output reduction, there is no likelihood of alternative transport fuels or aero designs that would substantially reduce their environmental and climate impact on the scale required, the only solution is to reduce air travel and associated activities, certainly not increase it.