Representation by Denise Furlonger
- Date submitted
- 19 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to Gatwick Airport's expansion plans. A 2nd runway is expected to add over 1 million tonnes of extra carbon into the air each year if allowed to go ahead. The planet is already suffering more and more major flooding and fires due to human activities. We need to be putting more emphasis on sustainable transport like railways, not adding more and more airplanes into the sky. There has been low unemployment in the area and Gatwick has struggled to fill job vacancies. If allowed to expand, additional housing would need to be provided to attract workers from outside of the area. Many of these would be low paid workers and as Gatwick is automating more and more services I think this is a false benefit that they are using to promote the benefits that expansion would bring to the area to make them look good. This is an area that is already seeing vast green areas disappearing under concrete. More houses means more cars and traffic congestion causing even more greenhouse gases. The railway lines serving Gatwick Airport can't be expanded to allow more passengers to travel to and from the airport sustainably which means even more traffic congestion on the roads. I am very concerned about the noise that is currently caused by aircraft using Gatwick Airport and a second runway would create even more noise. Gatwick Airport always puts profits ahead of people. I live more than 20 miles from the airport yet when there is an easterly wind, most arriving airplanes fly over Billingshurst at around 3,500 feet before join Gatwick Airport approach for landing. During the day this can be one airplane a minute and in high season this continues well after midnight. I have been woken up by aircraft overhead at all times of the night which is detrimental to my health. An additional runway would allow Gatwick to take more advantage of even more cheap nighttime flights. It would also mean new flight paths would need to be created which would impact more people, especially as Heathrow flight paths also have to be considered because of the close proximity of it to Gatwick airspace. The Airport Commission chose Heathrow over Gatwick for expansion in 2015. Nothing has changed since then to make Gatwick a better choice. The road and rail networks still can not be improved in the area.