LETTER: Massive impact of airport growth

The fate of families’ quality of life and home value is being decided at present by a non-elected body appointed by the Government.

My home is not, as yet, on the flight path of Gatwick and yet I spent Sunday morning tasting and smelling jet fuel oil as I watched, in just 20 minutes,

six planes taking off from Gatwick airport.

Gatwick complaints department will send you pages of diagrams showing that the planes were high enough, some 2799ft in the air and 955m from me, and on the flight path so how is it that I can tell you how many windows they had and which airline colours they carried.

And at night it’s like having Harry Potter’s magical car fly over as the headlights to the planes shine their way into Gatwick.

Please remember my home is not, yet, on the flight path!

Local people must make a point at looking at the Gatwick expansion plans as they are set to destroy large swathes of country side, people’s homes and lives as the plan is for routes, take off and landing, to go overwhat is one of the most congested bottle necks of the South, the M25

and M23 corner, destroying the tranquility and increasing the, already high, pollution levels from Oxted, East Surrey down to the historic village of Warnham, Billingshurst, Wisborough Green, Loxwood, Alfold, Rudgwick, Southwater, Shipley, and West Grinstead.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, is quoted in the press as being in favour of Gatwick expansion but then he already lives with high pollution levels and constant noise.

What madness is it to bring all the traffic to this congested, polluted corner of the South. Far better to take northern traffic to northern airports; it’s a bit like buying locally produced food, no pollution from transportation!

As I said my home is not yet on the flight path but I suffer planes.

So please do not just look at the plans and think ‘thank goodness it’s not over us’.

As I explained it is not those directly under the flight paths that will suffer but those anywhere near the flight paths or that use the M23 or M25 or breath the air!

Gatwick expansion may bring jobs, but it will also bring our roads to a complete stand still, pumping out huge waves of pollution to join the pollution from above.

Visit www.gacc.org.uk/the-runway-issue for yourself and don’t leave it, like the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre and the mass housing at Broadbridge Heath, too late to have your say!

SALLY PAVEY

Mayes Lane, Warnham