Dear...

No to expansion at Gatwick


As a local resident, I am writing to you so share my concerns about a possible second runway at Gatwick and request that you oppose this option on my behalf.

 The beautiful Sussex countryside, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the South Downs National Park and Ashdown Forest surround Gatwick Airport. Already these areas are blighted by Gatwick aircraft noise and the proposal for a second runway at Gatwick will destroy the tranquillity of these areas completely, as well as the charming, rural communities in a radius of 30 miles.

Gatwick 2 proposes to use both runways in dual purpose arrivals and departures, day and night seven days a week, offering no respite for local people.

Gatwick Airport is a busy rail station on an overcrowded main railway line and already creates a bottleneck.  The number of people using it has grown from 7.5 million in 1997/98 to 17.5 million in 2014/15.  Since 2000, rail traffic has grown nearly three times faster than airport traffic. Network rail has no funding for the expansion needed to provide adequate rail infrastructure to service an expanded airport.

Without an adequate rail line to take rural residents off the roads and lanes, they will be forced to use our congested network of roads.  This can only lead to delays and pollution as Gatwick is only serviced by the M23 that is projected to be full before Gatwick 2 is completed.  The M25 is already using four lanes at the Gatwick intersection and struggling.

You may be aware that Crawley, Horsham, Mid-Sussex, Brighton, Lewes, Adur and other local Councils are already unable to meet their own housing needs today – even without Gatwick expansion. So where exactly are the 18,4000 homes predicted by the Airports Commission (a settlement four times the size of Arundel) going to go?

I am writing to implore you to consider the devastating impact that expansion of Gatwick will have on the local communities and environment of Sussex and object accordingly.

Yours sincerely,