Crawley Observer – Gatwick News

Businesses question balance of Airports Commission meeting
Leaders felt not enough time was given to them to share their views
24th December 2014 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Karen Dunn
email karen.dunn@jpress.co.uk
phone 01293 845058

Business leaders threw their weight behind proposals for a second runway at Gatwick Airport citing the economic benefits it would bring to the next generation and beyond.

Sir Howard Davies, chair of the Airports Commission, led a meeting at the Arora Hotel, Southgate Avenue, on Tuesday (December 16) at which he heard evidence from parties for and against expansion.

The meeting heard from anti-expansion groups in the morning before turning the floor over to the business world in the afternoon.

Responding to claims from some that expansion would leave future generations with a legacy of concrete, noise and health problems, Christina Eubank, of the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex (ACES) called for the other side of the coin to be considered.

She said: “There’s been a lot of talk about the future for our children.

“I’d like to ask the meeting to think about the young people who have been hardest hit by the recession.

“If you can support Gatwick Airport to grow, the chances of all of our children finding careers is that much better.

“This is a one-time opportunity and we need to grab it with both hands.”

Rosemary French OBE spoke on behalf of Gatwick Diamond Business in place of chief executive Jeremy Taylor, who was called away to a family matter.

Speaking for 19 organisations, including the area’s chambers of commerce, she said: “There is no question that the second runway will bring an increase in employment levels, particularly as Gatwick has a real impact on the local economy – 43 per cent of Gatwick’s operational spend is with local suppliers.”

The issue of employment had been raised earlier in the meeting with some questioning how thousands of new jobs could be filled in an area with such low unemployment levels.

Ms French said: “There is understandably some concern how these jobs will be filled.

“We have already seen the plans to develop public transport and the road infrastructure around Gatwick, which will allow other areas to rightly benefit.

“We can see employment opening up for those who live in real disadvantaged areas along the coast and into London.

“And while those employees are working here they will in turn spend money in the local area.”

Ms French was one of several business representatives who felt the meeting had been unbalanced in favour of the anti-expansion groups.

In a letter to the Observer, she said: “Out of 130 minutes of speeches, only 10 minutes was given to a business organisation to give reasons to support the runway.

“Ten minutes is not enough to adequately reflect the community of 45,000 businesses in the Gatwick Diamond, the largest majority of whom support a second runway judging by many surveys over the past year.”

Sir Howard defended the balance of the meeting and added: “For us these meetings are not just useful, they are essential.

“Unless we hear the points people feel most strongly about, we won’t make a good decision.”

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Sir Howard Davies, chair of the Airports Commission

JPCT 131114 S14510185x Arora Hotel, Southgate Avenue, Crawley. Sally Pavey, Brendan Sewill and others at the meeting in front of Airports Commission chairman Sir Howard Davies taking evidence concerning Gatwick Airports proposal to build a new runway. -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141216-112554001

Crawley Observer – Community News

Second Runway Bid
Commission Hears Gatwick Concerns
17th December 2014 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Karen Dunn
email karen.dunn@jpress.co.uk
phone 01293 845058

Concerns about noise, the environment and pressures on the area’s infrastructure should Gatwick be expanded have been raised with the Airports Commission.

Commission chairman Sir Howard Davies chaired a meeting at the Arora Hotel, in Southgate Avenue, on Tuesday (December 16) where he heard from residents, politicians and community groups.

Also at the meeting was Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive officer, who was bombarded with questions and accusations from the floor about the airport’s proposal for a second runway.

Crawley MP Henry Smith reeled off a list of questions for Mr Wingate and asked him to explain how the area’s infrastructure would cope with the increase in population the airport would bring.

Mr Smith focussed particularly on the pressure such an increase would have on class sizes and GP services.

While acknowledging the positive aspects of Crawley being an airport town, he warned expansion would be “a fundamental change and impact on the community of Crawley”.

Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate, took the concerns one step further, stating it was “highly questionable” whether the funding for the Gatwick proposal would be forthcoming.

Mr Blunt also asked how Gatwick planned to fill the thousands of jobs expansion would bring when the local unemployment rates were so low.

Responding to Mr Blunt, Mr Wingate pointed out jobs growth at the airport would happen over a long period of time. He added: “We’re not overnight going to simply create 22,000 new jobs. This will be a more gradual process over several decades.”

Mr Wingate also confirmed the building of a third terminal at Gatwick had been moved into the first phase of development.

The submission made to the Airports Commission in May had the terminal pencilled in for the second phase.

Among concerns raised from the floor was the noise impact for Crawley’s new neighbourhood, Forge Wood, which the meeting was told did not appear on any of the maps submitted to the commission.

Paul Garber, of Capel Parish Council, told the meeting two-thirds of the new homes at Forge Wood would be affected by noise.

He pointed out the noise protection area on the plans included noise bunds for Manor Royal but nothing for the area in which Forge Wood would be built.

Brendon Sewill, of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, asked Mr Wingate how much money had been spent on Gatwick’s advertising campaign.

The figure was £1.7 5million but Sir Howard assured the meeting the money spent on the campaign would have no influence on the outcome.

Mr Sewill told Sir Howard: “The reason we are so upset is we think that putting an airport bigger than Heathrow down here would totally alter the character of this area for ever.”

The meeting was still in progress when the Observer went to press.

Copthorne & Gatwick Information evening

Copthorne Village Association

Copthorne + Gatwick Information evening
Wednesday 17th December at 7:30pm at Copthorne Jubilee Pavilion

Has the aircraft noise bothered you this summer?

A 2nd Runway at Gatwick airport – what will it mean for Copthorne and surrounding areas?

  • 2nd Runway Flight Path directly above Copthorne (it appears to be above Copthorne Bank, turning right near the Dukes Head to follow Turners Hill Road southwards)
  • Gatwick flights would more than double – 560,000 aircraft a year compared to 250,000 at present. Gatwick would be bigger than Heathrow today.
  • The local unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country – the 90,000 new jobs expansion would create would mean mass inward migration into the area.
  • Many new houses would be needed. An independent study estimated 30,000 – 45,000 new houses – the total number of houses in Crawley at present is around 40,000.
  • The impacts on an over-stretched infrastructure – travel congestion on roads, rail and buses
  • Schools, hospitals, shops and local amenities would need considerable investment to keep pace with the population growth.

Here is how the new flight paths would impact Copthorne and surrounding areas:

GatwickFlightPaths

Come and hear why people are concerned about the 2nd runway proposal + why the noise increased this summer.

Complete our survey to let us know your views:

website www.surveymonkey.com

And Have your say!

Crawley Borough Local Plan

Submission of the Crawley Borough Local Plan

Planning affects us all. The homes we live in, the places where we work, the open spaces where we relax and the roads we travel on are all a result of planning decisions that have been made.

Crawley 2030, our new Local Plan, is an important document which sets the way forward for planning the future of our town for the next 15 years. Once completed and adopted, the document will provide the basis for future planning decisions in Crawley.

Submission Local Plan Documents:

  • LP001 Crawley Submission Local Plan Crawley Borough Council (September 2014)
  • LP001a Crawley Submission Modifications Draft Local Plan (November 2014)
  • LP001b Schedule of proposed Main Modifications to the Draft Local Plan
  • LP001c Schedule of proposed Minor Modifications to the Draft Local Plan
  • LP002 Crawley Submission Local Plan Map Crawley Borough Council (September 2014)
  • LP002a Crawley Submission Local Plan Map Proposed Main Modifications (November 2014)
  • The Statement of Representation Procedure and Notification of Public Consultation Submission Local Plan
  • LP003 Crawley Submission Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal (November 2014) Crawley Borough Council
  • LP004 Crawley Local Plan Statement of Consultation (November 2014)
  • LP004 Appendix 1 – early consultation (Core Strategy)
  • LP004 Appendix 2 – early consultation (Issues & Options)
  • LP004 Appendix 3 – early consultation (Preferred Options)
  • LP004 Appendix 4 – early consultation (Additional Sites)
  • LP004 Appendix 5 – submission consultation
  • LP004 Appendix 6 – submission consultation
  • LP005 Crawley Infrastructure Plan (November 2014) Crawley Borough Council
  • LP006 Crawley Duty to Cooperate Statement Crawley Borough Council (November 2014)
  • LP007 Crawley Housing Implementation Strategy Crawley Borough Council (November 2014)
  • LP008 Crawley Borough Council Community Infrastructure Levy and Affordable Housing Viability Assessment Nationwide CIL Service (2013)
  • LP009 Crawley Submission Local Plan Habitat Regulations Screening Report Crawley Borough Council (2013)

All of the website local plan documents are available to view online.

All of the website supporting documents and evidence base are available to view online.

The Local Plan will now be subjected to an independent examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

A Programme Officer has been appointed to assist the Planning Inspector, all future correspondence relating to the public examination hearings should be via the program Officer.

Details of the Programme Officer: Claire Jones-Hughes , Banks Solutions
Email: bankssolutionsuk@gmail.com

Progress
Producing a Local Plan can be a complex process; however we have simplified it into a number of key stages. These are outlined in the table below so you can see where we are in the process:

Stage Date Progress
Issues and Options consultation 19 Jan – 1 Mar 2012 Completed
Preferred Strategy consultation 22 Oct – 3 Dec 2012 Completed
Site Allocation consultation 3 June – 1 July 2013 Completed
Submission consultation 1 Sept – 13 Oct 2014 Completed
Submission 26 November 2014 Completed
Examination in Public Mar-Apr 2015 Anticipated
Adoption Oct/Nov 2015 Anticipated

For more details on the progress of the plan, please visit the Current Progress page, which goes through the completed stages above, giving you a more detailed picture of what has happened to date.

For further information please go to website www.crawley.gov.uk/crawley2030exam or contact the Forward Planning team by email: forward.planning@crawley.gov.uk or call us on phone 01293 438624

Crawley-borough-council

Crawley Borough Council
Town Hall
The Boulevard
Crawley
West Sussex
RH10 1UZ

website www.crawley.gov.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/crawleycouncil