Representation by Lisa Scott
- Date submitted
- 7 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
In order to comply with legally binding carbon reduction targets for transport, if the proposal goes ahead, a full network of out-of-road walking and cycling infrastructure must be included not only for the airport area, but also for the wider area. Facilities must be provided that allow local residents to move about safely without the need to have the protection of being within a car. Local residents will bear the brunt of increased air and noise pollution and road congestion and therefore should receive compensation as a community, in the form of funding to provide proper, connected, upgraded infrastructure to match that of the new walking & cycling shared use path that meets the Longbridge roundabout. This fund, of £5m to cover installation of infrastructure to link conurbations where pavement is currently missing and supporting our local towns It is unacceptable to remove a section of the currently much used Riverside Country Park. The pavement on the A23 along side Riverside Country Park must be upgraded to shared use, it is not acceptable for cyclists and pedestrians to be redirected down in to a dark, muddy park, which will be unsafe to use at night. The same on the other side of the road from Longbridge roundabout / povey cross to North terminal, the existing public footpath is not fit for purpose and traps people between a wooded area near a road used by transient taxi drivers, and a 10 ft fence so no escape route if attacked. Funding to also provided for continuation of the shared use path from Westvale Park into Reigate town center. The current proposed walking and cycling access routes are wholly insufficient. Due to the low pay typical at Gatwick, typical income for cabin crew is £14,000 - £19,000 PA, many local employees rely on walking and cycling to access their jobs at Gatwick. Many work unsociable hours, arriving or departing the airport in the early hours of the morning and there are personal safety barriers to using the public footpath round to Longbridge Roundabout and Riverside Park walk recommended in the proposal, It is not acceptable to have the only pedestrian/cycle access to go via a muddy public footpath through a park. There will be no material increase in jobs, once the full automation available has been implemented. Paved access should also be provided via the Povey Cross junction and along Perimeter Road North. Safe cycling access and the significant number of covered cycle parking that is no longer available to North Terminal must be replaced. There were previously around 100 cycle parking spaces at North Terminal, these were removed for the installation of a multi story car park, the new facility has zery cycle parking spaces. Highways works appear to be planned to not be completed until 3 years after the airport works, this in unacceptable. I would like to see a funded cycle hire scheme introduced I require a full protocol of (annual) road flood maintenance for perpetuity. Currently, silt clogged rainwater drains (due to lack of maintenance result in flooded road), results in a serious puddling effect and vehicles push waves of sediment on to the existing pavement. This impacts the pavement's usability. Due to the polluted nature of this rainwater run off, flood water management must be via filter drains (no by vegetative drainage) as the road run off contains many highly toxic substances including poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) which would otherwise enter the watercourses, which this is not permitted under law. Noise envelope calculations seem to be inaccurate. Night flights must be banned or significantly limited (to emergency use only). In 2022, the Government advised us to keep windows closed during the day but open at night, in order to release heat from buildings. With night flights this is not possible. I recorded 93dB. 73dB in the middle of Hookwood on 27th October, which appears to be outside the proposed noise envelope this seems to be a trend, with 1.5h batches around the same time each evening (7.30 pm to 9 pm) of incredible increases in noise. The claimed minimal impact on noise does not make sense. The claim that newer planes will be quieter that current ones will apply only to planes using the main runway, which will be larger planes, unable to use the new runway. The new runway would be used by the older, smaller, noisier planes, therefore noise needs to be completely recalculated using correct runway use. Harm to existing and future residents: there is growing evidence of mortgage providers declining to lend on properties in the area due to their proximity to the airport. Residents need safe and inviting pedestrian links from Riverside Park on to the river mole green space to allow travel to the west Residents should be provided with a circular walk around the airport. Connecting existing public footpaths would be a relatively cheap and straight forward inclusion. Continuation of the public footpath near Gatwick Museum would provide safe and pleasant access from Charlwood to the River Mole green space, which is a popular area for residents. Volume of rainwater run off from the runway area is of significant concern. The proposed lifespan of the runway (40 years) is insufficient for a major infrastructure project and seems out of line with Government guidance. The Forum suggests a 75 or 100 year period would be more suitable. NPPF 006 ref id: 7-006-20220825 Flood mitigations appear to depend on electricity for full operation, what mitigations would be put in place in case of prolonged power cut? A brief power cut 24 October 2023 resulted in discharge in to the Mole, Local residents are regularly subjected to inhalation of aviation fuel due to fuel dumping. Local tradesmen working on roofs in the area have reported burning sensations on their skin. How will emergency fuel dumping be controlled if there are even more planes above our homes? The attached picture of apples grown in Charlwood clearly demonstrates that home grown food plus the air local residents breathe is contaminated. The rainbow glistening on puddles in our fields is ever present.