LETTER: Runway report blights county

Our area and property prices blighted until 2030!
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Sir Howard Davies’ report into aviation illustrates that there already exists capacity in this country for more flights as many runways are under-used, but it does not go anywhere near addressing the overcrowding of the access roads to the current airports of the South East.

This report could have been the opportunity to address the distribution of air traffic to quieter skies and to relieve the pressure on southern roads and infrastructure, and to take employment to areas that has unemployment.

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But it does not. It simply adds to the blight that West Sussex has been suffering since West Sussex County Council voted in favour of Gatwick expansion without consulting residents.

Airlines should be made to use runway vacant capacity and in so doing distribute the road traffic and not make it all come to one corner of the M25 to access Gatwick and Heathrow.

This report has just delayed moves for another runway and still seeks to increase the pressure on the south side of the M25 which is already congested, polluted and increasingly seeing green fields, that should be used to grow food to feed a growing population, being built on.

When airlines are faced by increased landing fees of a new runway they will then be happy to use the vacant capacity at cheaper airports such as Stansted.

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The South by 2030 will be a totally unworkable option as the M25 will be at gridlock and the lack of investment in the infrastructure will be even greater as already it is suffering from the population increases in West Sussex.

The recent issues with air traffic control illustrated that the skies in the South are already at bursting point with planes on very tight timings, incoming and outward flights. The airlines lost profits and people travelling abroad for business and pleasure were disrupted.

If the residents of West Sussex do not wake up to this threat it will become reality and an airport larger than Heathrow will be destroying everything that we love about West Sussex.

SALLY PAVEY

Mayes Lane, Warnham