Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Gatwick Noise Management
17th July 2019 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

Letter Page – Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk
phone 01293 845058

Plan details three runways

The current management of Gatwick Airport purchased the airport some 10 years ago and stated that they would not be looking for expansion.

Shortly after this, management instigated a bid for expansion, building a new runway, competing against Heathrow.

After years of debate Gatwick Airport management lost to Heathrow. Now we are meant to believe the Gatwick management that the MasterPlan, that clearly details three runways, are to be trusted (and) that they will not be going for growth and expansion with all three runways anytime soon.

We understand from our council leaders who attended the ‘secret’ Gatwick and council meeting, that the Gatwick board have agreed to go ahead with its master plan. This was clearly detailed by Gatwick in their glossy brochures as:

  1. Increasing capacity of the main runway using new technology
  2. Bringing the emergency runway into daily use
  3. Safeguarding land for a new runway

By anyone’s calculations this totals three runways, and there is no legal agreement to prevent Gatwick from applying to use all three any time soon!

With one runway there would be an increase of 17 per cent movements; using the emergency runway as a 2nd runway would increase aircraft movements by a further 36 per cent; and safeguarding the land for a 3rd runway would take movements to over 850,000 a year.

Please don’t forget additional flights means additional passengers to our roads; workers inwardly migrating into this area looking for affordable housing, schools, healthcare, and more people on our congested commuter trains on the single railway line that can’t be expanded with or without a new station.

CAGNE Committee

Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions
Contact details:

email cagnegatwick@gmail.com
website cagne.org
Facebook www.facebook.com/Gatwickcagne

Forge Wood – Crawley Observer

Residents of new Community Unite to Tackle Problem of Litter in Area
17th July 2019 – Crawley Observer

website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Staff Reporter
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk
phone 01403 751200

Residents of Crawley’s new neighbourhood rolled up their sleeves to get stuck into a litter pick in the area.

The residents unite for litter pick

People living in Forge Wood united to set about cleaning up their development.

The event was organised by Forge Wood Community Forum, an active resident’s association formed on the development.

Forge Wood benefits from a lot of open space and woodland but the woodland linking the development to Gratton’s Park had suffered from many years of neglect and antisocial behaviour, predating the establishment of the community.

Nadine Mctreadie from Forge Wood Community Forum said: “All the rubbish left many residents feeling unsafe walking through the woodland, which is regularly used by children to get to Milton Mount Primary School and Hazelwick School, so this seemed an ideal first event for the community forum to tackle.

“We are so fortunate to live on a development that benefits from great woodland which is rich in wildlife and now following our clean-up we can properly start to enjoy it.”

A surprising variety of items were removed including a bike, microwave, shopping trolley and shoes. A pile of rubbish was all cleared at the end of the morning.

The event was supported by Crawley Borough Council and attended by Cllr Tina Belben, councillor for Pound Hill North and Forge Wood.

Forge Wood Community Forum is looking forward to organising more events in the future. For more information: email forgewoodcf@gmail.com

Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Airport Railway Station Set For £150m Transformation
10th July 2019 – Crawley Observer

website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Staff Reporter
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk
phone 01403 751200

A £150m renovation scheme to upgrade Gatwick Airport railway station has been announced by the Government.

An artist impression of how the new station could look

Tens of millions of rail and from Gatwick are now set to benefit improved swifter journeys following the announcement by the Department for Transport.

The renovation will reduce train delays caused by platform overcrowding and congestion, while also improving passenger experience by providing easier connections to other destinations.

Planned upgrades will include doubling the size of the station concourse, adding five new lifts and eight escalators to improve passenger flow and widening two platforms to. reduce overcrowding.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “With 46 million people now using Gatwick Airport every year and 20 million coming by train, it is vital that we make the station more accessible and customer friendly for those travelling through it. The UK’s second largest airport has direct rail links to more than 120 destinations and is an important public transport hub.

“We want to see Gatwick Airport’s success continue to flourish and ensure that it is ready for even more passengers in the future.

Through this £150 million investment, we will deliver vital upgrades to boost the station’s capacity and provide better, seamless journeys for all.”

Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick Airport said: “Gatwick has been transformed in recent years and the redesigned train station will take the airport’s redevelopment to the next level by providing a seamless transition between the airport and the station, more lifts, escalators and a doubling in the size of the concourse.

“The new station will complement the huge improvements to rail services at the airport, which include new fleets of Gatwick Express and Thameslink trains and services that now leave the airport for London every three minutes – as frequently as services on the tube.

“The project is a fantastic example of the public and private sector working together to deliver a world-class transport hub.”

Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

No Expansion Plan for Airport
10th July 2019 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Joshua Powling
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk

Gatwick has denied having any plans to expand to a three runway airport in response to claims made by campaigners.

Leaders from a number of councils in West Sussex and Surrey have argued the airport is moving ‘far too fast in it’s proposals to bring its standby runway into full-time use.

The Government is currently moving ahead with plans for a third runway at Heathrow, which was chosen as the preferred option ahead of a second runway at Gatwick.

But on Monday Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions (CAGNE) claimed the West Sussex airport would be announcing not just growth from one runway, but expansion plans for a three-runway airport on July 18.

However this has been dismissed by the airport, with a spokesman saying: “Gatwick does not have plans for a three-runway airport. ‘oOur draft masterplan, which was consulted on earlier this year, outlined that we continue to safeguard land identified for an additional runway by the previous Government, as it has been since zoo3, which is in the long-term national interest.

‘As part of this, we made it clear that we will not actively pursue an additional new runway at Gatwick. ‘We continue to be led by Government policy around ‘making best use of existing runways’ and therefore our draft masterplan concentrates on how we could optimise our main runway and potentially bring our existing standby runway into routine use.”

CAGNE, an umbrella community group covering Sussex and Surrey, has criticised the airport for not paying heed to the impact extra aircraft movements, will have both on nearby residents and the environment.

Sally Pavey, chairman of CAGNE, said: “Aviation is one of the biggest threats our planet faces today and Gatwick Airport management now make it very clear that they have no regard for the damage they are, and will do, to the planet or the massive noise increases their plans will have on the residents of Sussex, Surrey and Kent.’

The group argues that any huge expansion of Gatwick would lead to a decline in air quality, push businesses out of the area, force mass house building and overload amenities and services.

Gatwick plan is unsustainable – Comments for the Letter Page

Sussex and Surrey community group hits back at Gatwick’s plans to push ahead with increases in aircraft movements off the main runway, use the emergency runway as a second runway and continue to safeguard land for a 3rd runway.

All the time the number of aircraft movements increases, with two runways anticipated to present a 36% increase of movements and a 3rd runway taking movements from 285,000 to 850,000 a year.

Any saving by modern planes or modern airspace is completely dispelled, by increases in aircraft movements and electric planes are not a reality for any time soon.

Aviation is one of the biggest threats our planet faces today. We call upon all climate change professionals and campaign groups to turn their attention to opposing Gatwick’s huge plans for unsustainable growth for the sake of communities wellbeing and the wellbeing of our planet for future generations.

With local authorities joining the climate change emergency efforts, it is not surprising that a joint letter has gone from the council leaders to Gatwick to show disappointment in their intended actions.

With the government ‘net zero’ announcement, which does not yet include aviation or shipping, we would urge local MPs to oppose Gatwick’s plans, which are on top of Heathrow expansion.

We urge residents to make it very clear to Gatwick that expansion of a leisure airport is too big a price to pay for future generations, for our counties that have a serious lack of affordable housing, congested roads and railway service and lacks amenities now to deal with the current population figures.

A three-runway airport, as proposed by Gatwick’s master plan, would force a huge increase of workers migrating into Sussex as well as freight and travellers through surrounding counties.

It would also spell a decline in air quality; push businesses out of the Gatwick area; force mass housing to accommodate inward migrating workers; and overload amenities such as schools and healthcare.

Join CAGNE and oppose Gatwick’s expansion plans to safeguard our future, our county’s future prosperity and that of our planet.

Sally Pavey

On behalf of CAGNE committee

Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group

Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)
Newsletter – July 2019 – Patient Round Up

Join the conversation to share your thoughts and experiences of local care and services direct with us.


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Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Concerns over standby runway
3rd July 2019 – Crawley Observer

website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Staff Reporter
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk
phone 01403 751200

‘Serious concerns’ about proposals to bring Gatwick Airport’s standby runway into full-time use have been raised by West Sussex council leaders.

Use of the standby runway was one of three options listed in Gatwicks expansion masterplan, alongside more intense use of the existing main runway and safeguarding land south of the airport for a possible new runway in the future. Nine council leaders covering authorities in West Sussex and Surrey have written to Gatwick expressing Serious concerns about the approach and timescales being proposed’ for the airport’s plans to bring the standby runway into use. Peter Lamb, leader of the borough council, and West Sussex County Council’s Louise Goldsmith were signatories.

The letter added: “There appears to be very little recognition by ‘your team of the critical role local authorities perform as representatives of the local community and minimal regard for the importance of effective and meaningful dialogue between GAL [Gatwick Airport Limited] and our authorities.

‘As you deliberate about whether to progress expansion plans, we urge GAL to genuinely engage with us to increase trust and understanding so we can ensure any proposals benefit our communities.”

In response Stewart Wingate, chief executive officer of Gatwick, said: ‘We believe that this project represents a very significant and strategically important opportunity for the south-east region and is vital for its ability to compete economically. We therefore think that this project should be delivered expediently.

“I should stress at the outset that we completely agree with your statement that there is much to be gained by working constructively together and that we are equally keen to do so.

“I would like to reassure you that all our activities to date have been designed with this in mind, and with the intention of fostering effective communication between us on all matters to do with growth at the airport.”

To make any changes, Gatwick will have to submit a planning application to the planning inspectorate. A spokesman for Gatwick said: “Gatwick consulted on its 2018 draft masterplan late last year, which set out potential scenarios for the airports ongoing development and sustainable growth.

“We are currently analysing the responSes to the 12-week public consultation and extensive engagement with local authorities and communities.

“We plan to publish a report on the consultation and the final masterplan in the near future. “If we were to take forward the proposals to bring the standby runway into routine use, we would follow a statutory planning process including a formal public consultation.

“Gatwick regularly engages with our local councils and communities through many channels and would continue to do so constructively as part of any future developments.”

For all the latest developments visit: website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk