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Gatwick announces expansion by ‘the back door’
Gatwick Airport continues to ignore rural communities and the impact it is having on our planet says CPRE Sussex in response to the Gatwick Master Plan launched on 18th July 2019.
Despite the Airport Commission’s decision to expand Heathrow, Gatwick will pursue a plan to use the ‘emergency’ or ‘standby’ runway as a second runway whilst also safeguarding land for a third runway.
This announcement comes as no surprise as the consultation on the draft Masterplan was flawed. For example, Gatwick held roadshows away from the areas most affected by noise, the previously tranquil areas where residents now find themselves bombarded day and night by aircraft noise.
This is not just about noise however, but also about the ramifications of an airport seeking to increase aircraft movements by some 35% with the associated release of damaging CO2 into the atmosphere. Any saving of CO2 made by new aircraft technology is lost when you constantly increase the number of planes you fly.
This spells disaster for all local authorities housing plans, highway plans and other infrastructure.
You can read more in the Gatwick Airport Masterplan.
