Representation by Michele Ryan
- Date submitted
- 19 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Living 11 miles from Gatwick, I strongly object to the expansion/proposal of using the northern runway on a regular basis for the following reasons: - The current 55 aircraft movements per hour between the hours of 7am and 11pm is already sufficiently busy for Gatwick’s ILS and Air Traffic Control. ILS cannot be used on the northern runway so even if the runway is approved it will not be used for landings. This is hardly a significant improvement. - Even if the northern runway is widened, it will still not create sufficient space between runways for both runways to be used simultaneously. - There is insufficient infrastructure for more passengers to arrive at Gatwick in order to use the assumed extra capacity for flights. The A23 already has long queues at the Gatwick junction, which also affects coach transfers, and the trains to Gatwick are also already overcrowded. - Air quality: Extra flight capacity will not help the environment in air quality. - Noise pollution: we moved to our village in 1997 because it was not on the flight path. Now with so many flights in holding patterns we have flights overhead at all times of the day, evening and night. More flight capacity will create more noise pollution. - Short term thinking: While I realize that Gatwick is at capacity, it must also be realized that planes are going to get bigger and that any spending on widening the northern runway will be very short lived.