It is believed that Gatwick Airport will announce not just growth from one runway, but expansion plans for 3-runway airport on 18th July.
“This would show a total disregard for the current aircraft noise issues that communities of Sussex, Surrey and Kent are suffering,” said Sally Pavey Chair of CAGNE. “As well as a total lack of understanding of public attitude concerning the damage man is burdening future generation with global warming and pollution of our planet.
All the time the number of aircraft movements are allowed to increase, with 2 runways anticipated to present a 36% increase of movements, and a 3rd runway taking movements from 280,000 to 850,000 a year! Any saving by modern planes or modern airspace is completely dispelled by increases in aircraft movements and CO2; electric planes are not a reality for any time soon in the commercial leisure exploits.
Aviation is the ‘big elephant’ in the room when it comes to damaging our planet through burning fossil fuel and we need to become climate smart travellers if we are to seriously tackle reducing our carbon footprint. Allowing a leisure airport such as Gatwick Airport to grow in this proposed fashion is simply egotistic and business greedy,” said Sally on behalf of the CAGNE committee.
CAGNE, the umbrella community group for Sussex and Surrey has hit back at Gatwick’s obvious disregard for communities that will be impacted by the huge increases in aircraft noise by their plans to push ahead with intensifications in aircraft movements off the main runway; use the emergency runway as a second runway; and to continue to safeguard land for a 3rd runway that is badly needed for development in Crawley.
“Aviation is one of the biggest threats our planet faces today and Gatwick Airport management now make it very clear that they have no regard for the damage they are, and will do, to the planet or the massive noise increases their plans will have on the residents of Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
With local authorities joining the climate change emergency efforts and the government ‘net zero’ announcement, which does not yet include aviation or shipping, CAGNE find it hard to see how either can ever support Gatwick’s business plans which simply put profits before the planet,” continued Sally.
Most people will not be aware that a return flight flying from Gatwick Airport to New York and back is 11,138km, which is 2.4 tonnes per passenger! This equates to 5 times around the world by train, or a 6-minute shower once a day for 12 years. In fact releasing 2.4 tonnes of CO2 means melting 1,539 tonnes of glacial ice!
CAGNE calls upon all environmental and climate change professional and groups to turn their attention to opposing Gatwick’s huge plans for unsustainable growth. And urge residents to make it very clear to Gatwick that expansion of a leisure airport is too bigger price to pay for future generations; for our counties that have serious lack of affordable housing, congested roads and railway service, and lacks amenities now to deal with the current population figures.
A three-runway airport, as proposed by Gatwick’s master plan, would force a huge increase of workers migrating into Sussex as well as freight and travellers through surrounding counties. It would also spell a declining in air quality; push businesses out of the Gatwick area; force mass housing to accommodate inward migrating workers in Sussex; and over load amenities such as schools and healthcare.
“This master plan has to be stopped before it reaches the doors of government who will decide the future fate for residents of Sussex, Surrey and Kent,” concluded Sally.
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