Claudia Fisher, Councillor for Storrington and Washington (Horsham District Council)
My name is Claudia Fisher. I’m a Green Horsham District Councillor – but today I’m speaking in an individual capacity and on behalf of all of the people in this world and those to come.
I strongly oppose this Gatwick Airport application for a northern runway for many reasons – Firstly it’s a NEW runway. This is an application for a new runway, which does not comply with the Government’s Aviation Strategy policy. Gatwick does not have 2 runways ‘existing’ that it can operate concurrently today – as such this is a new runway being constructed.
I’d like to counter the submissions of the various business and tourism groups lined up to speak today – there is no economy on a burning planet, the idea of endless growth from a planet with finite resources is a short term mono-dimensional view which ignores the suicidal path this expansion would take us ALL down. I’d also like to say, opposing expansion doesn’t mean our area can’t continue to benefit from Gatwick – but it is big enough already. The sustainable solution is to keep it as it is.
Here are a brief but significant list of reasons for refusal – Increase in aircraft noise, Further decline in air quality, Lack of affordable housing, an offer of insecure low skilled jobs, increased road congestion and overloading of the limited rail infrastructure.
Here’s a quote from Brighton Pavilion Green MP, Caroline Lucas, who’s unable to be here today but said this morning: “As the planetary emergency grows ever more rapidly, it’s ridiculous we’re still even having this conversation about expanding runways whether at Gatwick or anywhere else. The Government’s own independent climate advisors have been crystal clear: building any new runways at all would be fundamentally incompatible with meeting the UK’s climate change commitments.”
In a climate emergency, a new runway would inevitably add a significant amount of carbon and greenhouse gases. Expansion would also increase the risk of flooding and excess sewage entering the river system and the risk of further water stress in an already water stressed area.
Horsham District and much of Crawley is supplied with water by Southern Water – from its Sussex North Water Resource Zone which is sourced from abstraction points in the Arun Valley – locations includes SSSIs and a Ramsar site – all of which are experiencing serious stress due to water shortage. I understand that Gatwick does not currently draw water from the Sussex North Water Resource Zone – but it sits next to the edge of this zone. Water knows no boundaries – water taken from one neighbouring area will inevitably impact that water abstraction impact. This is a major reason, amongst many others I have already listed, for refusing this highly inappropriate, unsustainable and damaging application.
