news items Ainsworth Objects to Expansion of Gatwick's North Terminal
| Ainsworth Objects to Expansion of Gatwick's North Terminal |
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| Tuesday, 29 September 2009 00:00 |
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East Surrey MP Peter Ainsworth has written to Crawley Borough Council to raise his objections to a planning application which could see the expansion of Gatwick’s North Terminal. In his letter, Mr Ainsworth states that whilst he continues to support Gatwick as a successful one runway, there is understandable local concern over the airport future growth. It is also argued that the timing of this application is inappropriate given that passenger numbers have fallen in recent times, the airport is in the process of changing ownership, and there is a live consultation on the airport’s future Noise Action Plan. Mr Ainsworth said: “Any application of this kind is viewed with suspicion by local people who are understandably apprehensive about the incremental, and unsustainable, expansion of the airport. “Aside from the fact that passenger numbers would suggest there is simply no demand for such an expansion at this time, it is important to place any new development in the wider context of our national commitments to tackling climate change and the inevitable increase in carbon-based activities.” Ted Beresford Knox 28th September 2009 Dear Mr Beresford Knox, Gatwick North Terminal Expansion Planning Application CR/2009/0326/FUL I am writing about the above application as Member of Parliament for East Surrey. My constituency borders Gatwick Airport to the East and North and consequently developments at Gatwick have significant implications for my constituents; these implications are related to local employment, economic sustainability, and environmental nuisance. I support Gatwick's success as a one runway airport and remain strongly opposed to the concept of a second runway at this site. Problems have arisen over the years because of a distrust between BAA and the public over the company's expansion plans. There is a widely held view, not without justification, that every application for the expansion at BAA's airports - although billed by the company as the final demand - is in fact just part of an incremental process of unsustainable growth. Similar suspicion hangs over the present application. I endorse the submission which you will have received from CPRE Surrey. In particular, I feel that the timing of this application is strange. As you will know, passenger numbers have recently been falling, and it is therefore hard to justify the application on grounds of meeting as yet unmet demand. Gatwick itself is in the process of changing ownership, so the future business plans of any new owner should be available to your Council before determining this application. In addition, there is currently a consultation underway over future noise limits at and around the airport, and consideration of the present application should reasonably await the outcome of that process and not pre-empt it. If granted, the application would, in my view, also result in the numerous local and national disadvantages highlighted by CPRE in their submission. To take just two examples: the further development of retail space at Gatwick needs to be seen in the context of the potential impact on existing retail businesses in the area; and plans to increase airport capacity need to be viewed in the wider policy context of climate change and the likely increase in the cost of carbon based activities. I hope, therefore, that your Council will consider these issues with great care before determining the application. Yours sincerely, Peter Ainsworth
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