The recent Gatwick flight path ‘trial’ caused stress and lack of sleep to many who were previously unaffected by aircraft noise and who seemingly had limited notice of it.

Sadly, the company involved had just a recorded message in a strong American accent, on the Gatwick complaints line.

Given concerns about new house building, fracking and wind turbines, many may be sceptical about the trials.

Since noise causes poor sleep or stress and we never fully adjust to it, both productivity and health would be affected. We should be told how such factors are to be quantified in the evaluation of new runway options.

Also, the South East is already overcrowded and the influx of even more people to this area would affect the general quality of life in Sussex.

The Horsham District Planning Framework already seeks 650 new dwellings per annum, not including those arising from a second runway.

With infrastructure already creaking at the seams, we need confidence that this will be addressed.

There are for example no plans to expand the local rail network, beyond the modernisation of Littlehaven near Horsham, whilst the coalition is happy to borrow £60bn plus for HS2.

If the rail network is not improved, road traffic in the area can only mushroom.

Gatwick has tended to operate as a European hub, with many short haul planes flying under Heathrow’s flight paths.

A second runway might provide more slots for larger planes, but we could still see many noisy planes flying closer to the ground.

One logical solution would be to locate a new airport in a coastal/estuary region (eg Manston, or Boris Island) taking account of prevailing wind, while avoiding as many built up areas as possible.

That would allow growing flight volumes to be shared between three southern sites, reducing the impact on residents around Heathrow and Gatwick.

Unfortunately, the Boris Island option seems to be sliding towards the back-burner. So we might ask if short-term commercial interests are driving the new runway decision. Many may wonder if they are going to be properly consulted on the runway options.

Are we going to see another example in which local councils and residents are given little voice?

We must hope that our MPs will stand up for us, demanding evidence that runway options are being properly balanced, against the long-term impact on their constituents.

If a new Gatwick runway has to proceed, they might negotiate for a new A&E hospital.

That could counter the poor NHS accessibility that plagues our district, while providing contingency for a possible aircraft accident.

Let’s see if they can make localism work.

Roger Arthur, District Councillor and Prospective UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for Horsham