LETTER: Adverse effects on the environment

Successive Governments quote figures at us, relating to demand of increased passenger numbers on our existing airports. They talk as if it were written that everyone has to fly everywhere while at the same time talking about ‘rolling out’ superfast broadband, which, to an extent, should diminish the numbers of business people flying.

Another, apparently very important reason for expansion of UK airports is that we need a Hub airport, to rival Frankfurt and Amsterdam.

No-one has ever explained how having countless thousands of people changing from one plane to another at a British airport benefits anyone other than the owners of the airport; and how many are British owned.

Increasing airplane traffic has only adverse effects on the environment at so many levels, from air pollution, noise pollution right through to having to increase rail and road connections. The inconvenience to local populations is less visible but present, nevertheless.

If another European hub is required to outdo the existing ones, we would be much better off knowing that the flights were at 30,000 feet above us, hardly visible and not heard, than destroying even more of our small amount of available land.

The opponents of immigration always cite lack of space and infrastructure to deal with more people living here, yet those problems exist when considering handling passengers passing through. Where is the logic in that?

CHARLES T. POLLARD

Ockley Road, Beare Green