Villages and beauty spots around Gatwick 'at risk from airport expansion'
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That’s the view of the campaigning group Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions – CAGNE – which has voiced new concerns following fears that the Government is to give the go-ahead for expansion at Gatwick Airport in its bid for economic growth.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that growth trumps all else, including environmental issues. But CAGNE spokesperson Sally Pavey said the expansion of Gatwick – with its northern runway brought into full-time use – would impact such beauty spots as Wakehurst Place and Hever Castle and would destroy the tranquillity of sourrounding Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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Hide Ad"It’s not just an increase in aircraft noise,” she said, “it’s also an increase in road traffic. Historic villages around Gatwick are already used as rat runs with traffic trying to avoid congestion on major roads around the airport.


"Taxi drivers know to use country lanes through Rusper and Charlwood to avoid congestion on the main roads and this will just get worse.”
She said other beauty spots in Surrey and Kent would also be affected, not just by an increase in noise but also by a decline in air quality. Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and Ashdown Forest are among the nearby beauty spots that, she said, could also be impacted.
Other areas which would be hit, she said, were the Surrey Hills, Chiddingfold, Penshurst Place and Groombridge Place in Kent, along with the villages of Rusper, Lingfield, Cowden, Wisborough Green, Plaistow, Ifold and Cranleigh.
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Hide Ad“It’s the knock on effects,” she said. “People think that if it’s just about noise while sitting outside in your garden in the summer, you can get double glazing. But these historic places can’t be retro-fitted to be soundproof or ventilated.
"If you want to sit outside in the summer you are going to find that these historic places no longer offer you tranquillity.”
And, she said, problems would not only increase after the airport’s expansion was complete. “During construction, lorries will be using country lanes. This is not just about cheap flights to Alicante, it is the bigger picture of how it is going to transform these historic villages.”
She said an influx of airport workers meant that new affordable homes would be needed. “We will have to build on countryside, on green spaces,” she said.
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Hide AdGatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said earlier this week: “At London Gatwick, we can be a major part of the Government’s drive for growth. We are already contributing over £5.5billion to the UK economy and supporting over 76,000 jobs, but unless we can access greater airport capacity the UK will miss out on opportunities to enhance global connectivity and unlock further opportunities for trade, tourism and job creation. "Bringing our Northern Runway into routine use, through a £2.2 billion privately financed, shovel-ready investment will create 14,000 jobs and generate £1 billion a year in economic benefits.” He added: "We have put forward a strong and compelling case focused around making best use of our existing infrastructure, minimising noise and environmental impacts.”
A decision on the airport expansion is to be made by February 27.
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