Representation by Amy King
- Date submitted
- 19 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am concerned about multiple parts of this project. First of all, I feel that increasing the capacity of Gatwick and increasing the number of flights coming in and out of the airport is not in line with this nations aim of reducing carbon emissions. The amount of CO2 and NoXs produced by the aircraft will inevitably contribute towards climate change, something I feel strongly that we should avoid. Secondly, I am concerned about the capacity of trains being significantly negatively effected. I often travel to London, and, even outside of rush hour, the trains are always packed. Unless capacity is increased significantly, (which it should be already), I fear that the sudden influx of passengers could cause havoc on the London to Brighton mainline. Third of all, the employment rate of Crawley and the area surrounding is already one of the highest in the country. Any "benefits" of new jobs would be minimal in the area, compared to, say, Birmingham where the unemployment rate is much higher. If more jobs where to suddenly become available, then people from outside of the area would have to move in, which at the moment would be expensive due to the unreasonably high housing rates. If new houses where to be built, then this could in itself face fierce opposition (see the West of Ifeild project). TL:DR the "benefit" of economic activity is not particularly necessary in the area, as Crawley is already a relatively prosperous place. Finally, I fear that the increased airplane traffic would make issues of noise pollution in the area worse.