Here are some comments from residents and others living and working around Gatwick.
Peter"There has probably been no time like the present , with National and Global awareness of noise and CO2 pollution , to press home our fundamental premise - Gatwick(and the planes which service Gatwick) can indeed be quieter. Public awareness – and support for our lobbying efforts – will ensure this."
Lizzie"Aviation gets away with blue murder and has too great an influence over Government departments, this must stop. It's time for an independent regulator."
Rob"Gatwick Airport can substantially improve the quality of life for those affected by plane noise by distributing the flight paths of landing planes more evenly, by making the angle of descent greater and by encouraging newer, quieter planes. It is time to take people's lives into account, not just the financial gains from the airport."
Peter and Adrienne Breen"It has taken the Volcanic-ash induced flight disruptions to bring home to us poor sods who live under the Gatwick flight path , just what peace and tranquillity we,our families,neighbours and visitors could enjoy in our otherwise delightful country-side .
And thanks goodness for a change in Government - the last lot manifestly didn't give a toss for the hundreds of thousands whose lives are blighted by aircraft noise - as vividly illustrated by our pre-election survey which showed that zero Labour candidates even bothered to reply.
We now need to build on the good early initiatives spelled out by Chris Huhne , to introduce a proper Aviation Policy and Regulatory Regime to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders(and not just airport and aircraft operators) are properly considered.
From our local perspective , Gatwick can , must and will be quieter."
"By my calculation and in the last year alone the various organisations involved have spent more than 40,000 (yes forty thousand!) hours talking and writing about aircraft noise at Gatwick Airport. It is absolutely shameful that all this effort is being wasted on expensive consultations and reports explaining why it's someone else's responsibility. Just imagine what could be done if everyone involved simply rolled up their sleeves and spent the same amount of time working out how to make things better. There is such a huge opportunity to improve things but all we have is bureaucracy. Isn't it time for change?"
JB"After a 60 hour working week, all I want is to be at home, relax, and get a good night's sleep. 75% of the time (as that is the amount the wind blows our way) that is impossible. I log noise disturbances online with Gatwick, but never get credible responses for how they are going to make it better – just bland excuses and pointing fingers to other organisations. CAA, NATS, DFT... who's in charge and who's responsible? And does anyone care?
This weekend yet again I am utterly distressed. Between 10:30pm and 12:02am last night at least 20 flights screamed over. Considering one flight creates over a minute of noise, I can tell you that it feels like solid noise – just when I'm trying to sleep away a stressful week. And this Sunday morning, it continues apace. A flight every two minutes while I am trying to enjoy the garden. I get more peace at the office in London! Something must be done. Please help!"
Theresa Villiers MP, Minister of State for TransportWe recognise the importance of aviation and the benefits of flying for our economic competitiveness and for holidaymakers... however, there comes a time when stuffing thousands and thousands more flights and millions and millions more passengers into the same overcrowded corner of the south-east of England starts to impose an unacceptable cost on our environment and our quality of life. 28th January 2010
Lord Justice Carnwath on Government Aviation PolicyCommon sense demands that a policy established in 2003, before the important developments in climate change policy, symbolised by the Climate Change Act 2008, should be subject to review in the light of those developments. 26th March 2010