It was interesting reading some of the letters in last weekend's Courier newspaper about the opposition to expansion of Gatwick Airport. I for one have definitely noticed that the air traffic seems to have increased considerably over Tonbridge in recent years. As I lay in bed last night about 11-30, an early night for me, I heard at least six aircraft fly over low enough to be a sound nuisance by any sensible measure. Could this have been that they were all stacking up to get in before a midnight curfew? Possibly. But the fact remains that it has become a problem for the area.
The loudest voices in the local paper last week were those who lived in villages such as Hever who have, according to them, had more than their fair share due to the narrowing of the flight paths being a condition of the proposed second run way (still a strong possibility by all accounts, despite the knock back that Gatwick had with last week's decision.) This operational strategy seems sensible at first glance but not so much if you happen to be one of those houses right on the narrow flight path. For them I can only imagine it to be a bit of a nightmare and that's putting it mildly. Say you'd bought a dream house in the country 30 years ago and now you can't sit in your garden for more than four minutes without another super sonic jet coming in low for its landing approach. Not much fun and who'd want to buy that house when the time comes to sell up? So it's already a big problem for many and it effects the rest of us greatly as well. If the expansion goes ahead we might as well all move to Crawley! Actually Oxi to that, thanks.
One more thing as well. I do still have one burning question which must be resolved quickly: How the heck do you pronounce Oxi anyway?!
Comments please.....
11 comments:
So which airport would you expand, Mr Nimby? Like it or not, a second runway at Gatwick is a far cheaper option than an additional one at Heathrow. Or should we spend mega-bucks building a completely new airport in the Thames Estuary, as the Mayor of London suggests, and risk upsetting a few bird lovers?
Or maybe do without it, cut down on air travel and thereby reduce pollution and help the planet. Probably most business deals could be done by skyping - that would considerably reduce the air traffic!
Some of us actually like travelling to different places, anonymous. It broadens the mind! If the Greens had their way, we’d all be riding around in horse and carts, using candles to light our homes and cooking our food over an open fire.
So we'll have all that extra disruption just so PB can go off on weekend jaunt to Munich or Prague! Isn't everyone a NIMBY when it comes down to it? Why do we need another runway at Gatwick? More noise, more pollution, more traffic. Why not build a new airport where it's really needed for jobs and economic stimulus like the midlands, Grimsby, Middlesborough or Wales??
Who said anything about not travelling to different places? Obviously no one would suggest scrapping air travel altogether, but maybe if we all restricted it to a maximum of twice a year, that might make some difference (as would walking or cycling instead of using the car every time).
As to the tired old anti-green propaganda, we all share this planet and being in denial about global warming won't stop it happening, PB.
You are missing the point about airport expansion in the South East, TB. It isn’t so I can jet off on a jolly, to foreign parts, in search of decent beer and some decent pubs; I can do that quite easily now without any extra runways being built.
The idea is to develop one of the London airports as a major European “hub”, to compete with the likes of Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris. The irony is it’s probably too late, as these cities have already captured most of this traffic, but that’s not to say some expansion in the South East isn’t necessary or even desirable.
You made the point in your original post, TB, about the number of planes flying over at certain times. Well they fly over my house as well and also right over my place of work. The company I work for are based at Chiddingstone Causeway, just a few miles down the road from Hever which you cite as a village suffering from excessive aircraft noise.
There’s a plane flying over now, as I write, but it’s something I hardly notice. It’s not constant, anymore than the noise would be if I lived close to a railway line, and it’s far more preferable to the noise we get from traffic on the A21, when the wind’s blowing in the wrong direction.
Like it or not, the extra runway is going to go somewhere, so it might as well be Gatwick which, not only is cheaper and far less destructive in terms of lost properties, but would also provide a much welcome boost to the local economy.
One last point, anonymous. Global warming may or may not be occurring, but it is total arrogance on the part of mankind to claim that we, as a race, are responsible for climate change. The planet goes through these changes on a periodic basis, (think Ice Ages and the warm inter-glacial periods).
These changes are due to a slight shift or wobble in the Earth’s axis, and nothing to do with a slight build up of CO2 in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. A major volcanic eruption pumps far more carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere than all the cars, planes and power stations put together. This is scientific fact and not anti-green propaganda; although it is far more “An inconvenient truth” than anything Al Gore ever came up with!
TB, the airlines will only use London airports, witness the closure of Manston on our doorsteps, the closure of Plymouth and Blackpool now being run on a very restricted basis. But if you want to go to Europe why not use the train. Cheap advance fares are available and even Cannes or Nice are no problem. Arrive at Cannes station and be in your hotel within 10 mins.
see www.seat61.com if you want some ideas for Europe by train without breaking the bank.
I am no expert on global warming, but almost every report I have read on the subject suggests that the heavy use of fossil fuels is having a significant effect on the climate, causing a small increase in temperature year on year. The scientific studies that contradict this are usually funded by huge American corporations, who just might have a vested interest in convincing us otherwise!
On the subject of aircraft noise, anyone who has attended an open air play or concert at Hever Castle will know exactly how noisy it is in that area!
PB should read "Sapiens" by Yuval Harari which was one of the non fiction books of 2014. The author is somewhat of an authority on the history of humankind. I'm afraid to tell you PB that us humans have been going about destroying the planet since we learnt to make spears and flint tools! Well before the industrial revolution of only 250 years ago and even many thousands of years before agricultural revolution of a mere 12,000 years ago. We've reduced the number of animals on earth and caused their dramatic reduction in size (no more giant sloths for example.) We've domesticated most of the species of birds, and animals that we've allowed to stay on the planet, almost destroyed the fish stocks until very recently.... need I go on PB. Anyway, looking forward to my first half pint at the SIBA Beer festival tomorrow!...
Anonymous, www.seat61.com certainly is an excellent and well-researched website for anyone interested in travelling around Europe by train. This mode of transport is definitely the most civilised, providing one has the time, and I would agree it is far more environmentally friendly than air travel. A friend of mine and his girlfriend made extensive use of the site a couple of years ago, to plan their journey right up from southern Italy, through Switzerland and on into the Alsace region of France.
I love train travel, but when one has only a limited amount of leave, the time factor comes into play and it is obviously far quicker to hop onto a plane. I had a great time back in my student days, travelling by train, all over Western Europe using an Inter-Rail ticket, and would love to do something similar when I eventually retire.
As it happens I’m off to Brussels at the end of August, and will be travelling via Eurostar. The ticket didn’t cost me anything either, as I had saved up my Nectar points.
TB, I will look out for you at the SIBA Festival tomorrow evening, and I promise not to mention aircraft noise, new runways or global warming!
Personally I like watching the aircraft heading for Gatwick from my Tonbridge garden. Why not build two more runways.
Post a Comment