Representation by Helen Park
- Date submitted
- 19 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I oppose this Gatwick Airport application for a northern runway because it is a new runway – Policy has been misinterpreted by the applicant as this is an applicant for a new runway which does not comply with policy, Government’s Aviation Strategy. Gatwick does not have 2 runways ‘existing’ that it can operate concurrently today as such it is a new runway being constructed at night. Increase in aircraft noise – evidence an additional 101,000 flights a year to a cap of 386,000. Decline in air quality further as Gatwick ignores the far-reaching impact of road and air emissions created by its operations. Lack of affordable housing locally to enable workers to walk or cycle to work as the applicant proposes. And lack of amenities eg hospitals, schools, etc Low skilled jobs are offered with little job security due to the volatile nature of the airport’s leisure business. Gatwick sits on a single main road, the M23 which is deemed an unsafe smart road. To add to the huge increase in freight, passengers and workers will cause a significant increase in congestion on residential roads and an inevitable decline in air quality. The airport sits on the Brighton Main Line, which can’t be expanded. Gatwick seeks to add an unacceptable burden to the line with over 32m extra passengers and luggage. We face a climate emergency, and a new runway would add a significant amount of carbon and greenhouse gases – Evidence CCC (2020) The Sixth Carbon Budget – Methodology Report. Available at: www.theccc.org.uk Potential for flooding and sewage entering the river system again travelling to the River Arun. A week has passed since the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) website for submissions to oppose Gatwick Airport’s plans for a new runway was closed a day early – it closed on the 28th not the 29th October When CAGNE reported the issue PINS commented ‘We appreciate the confusion and concern the premature closure will have caused, which it has transpired was due to a software update that affected the date setting within the representation portal. Unfortunately, Gatwick was the first project to close its representation portal following the update,’ ‘I want to reassure you that we are working with the Applicant ( Gatwick) to re-open the Relevant Representation period for the project to allow submission of representations by those who were unable to on Sunday, and any other person who may wish to do so. We cannot yet state when the representation period will re-open; I hope that this will be next week, however the Applicant ( Gatwick) will need to publicise this via press notices and letters which cannot occur immediately. This is to ensure that the re-opening is publicised effectively.’ The CEO of Gatwick Airport at the GATCOM meeting sought to remove Gatwick’s involvement from the flawed process laying the blame squarely at the government’s planning inspectorates’ door for the error. To allow Gatwick to spread its normal spin is simply unacceptable and CAGNE will again seek to present a more balanced argument to residents.