LETTER: Ridiculous threat to environment

Along with the continued failure of the county council to improve our local roads and reduce the amount of deaths which is quite alarming at present, and also of failing to advise motorists with new signage, lowering the overall speeds, all coupled to Sussex Police Force’s failure to enforce the limits by law, has resulted in mayhem on our North Sussex roads.

Emergency ambulances now seem to invariably come from the South Coast and, more often than not then proceed in a northerly direction to East Surrey Hospital at Redhill in Surrey. It is also rumoured that our Hurst Road ambulance station could be under threat.

A further predicament has been caused by Horsham District Council getting itself into difficulty over housing development with both our Government and the Planning Inspectorate.

With these points in mind it doesn’t seem to auger well for our future and, if the second runway is given the green light, I am sure it will result in the final nail being firmly hammered into the Blight Coffin of our North Sussex area.

East Kent with its Manston airport, plus the possibility of new infrastructure for a branch of Euro Tunnel linking it to Europe, London and beyond, would ideally make a lot more sense in giving what is a deprived area, regarding job opportunities, first choice and higher priority over Gatwick airport.

I have noted on the West Sussex County Council leader’s profile, that some of her outside interests include the countryside, environment and walking, all very nice and comfortable in the more mundane area of Chichester near the Hampshire border.

However, surely the leader’s first priority should be to protect the whole of West Sussex and, my own personal view is, PROGRESS SHOULD INDEED STOP THE SECOND RUNWAY and, cherish what we are so lucky to have and, being able to sustain this sublime legacy, for our future generations to come, despite the bureaucrats and politicians intransigent attitude, in fighting this abominable and ridiculous threat to our beloved countryside and environment.

DEREK CASTLE

Gagglewood, Mannings Heath