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WELCOME

Welcome to Speldhurst Parish Council, serving the villages of Ashurst, Langton Green, Old Groombridge and Speldhurst. To find out more about what we do to help improve and maintain quality of life in our parish, visit our Parish Council page. 

MEETING AGENDAS & MINUTES

To find out the dates of forthcoming meetings and view meeting agendas, visit our Meetings and Agendas page. To view the minutes of previous meetings, visit our Meeting Minutes.

NEWS UPDATES

Could you be a parish councillor? We are currently looking to fill a vacancy - find out more. 

Speldhurst Chapel Project has launched its community share offer and fundraise for building works at Speldhurst Chapel, so that the community shop and post office can relocate. Read more here. 

Use one.network to stay up to date with local road closures in the parish. 

See below for an update from the parish council's Air Traffic Committee on Gatwick Airport's application for a 2nd runway. 

An update from the Air Traffic Committee - Gatwick Airport 2nd runway proposal

Updated 7th November 23

You may already be aware that Gatwick Airport is proposing to expand its current facilities and, in essence, plans to bring its northern runway — currently acting as a taxiway only when the main runway is out of use — into routine use (read more at Northern Runway Plans | London Gatwick Airport).

What does this mean and why does it affect us all?

We believe that the expansion will in effect exacerbate a situation which is already unsustainable. In fact, the current flight path arrangements heavily affect our whole parish both during the day and at night time. So there could be even more serious consequences for our community if Gatwick's plans for the future are allowed to reach fruition. To clarify, forecasts predict that Gatwick Airport will be serving 75 million passengers by the end of 2030. This will mean that our parish will be forever changed by the creation of a motorway in the sky.

Furthermore, we believe it is important to underline that only in June 2023, the Climate Change Committee advised the UK government that no airport expansion should go ahead as it will inevitably impact the government’s commitment to ensure the UK reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2050. Over 53% of Wealden District falls within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – a landscape of national importance that was designated as an AONB in 1983. Speldhurst Parish is at the heart of this AONB and our communities retain the highest percentage of ancient woodland and some of the darkest night skies across the British Isles. Again, should Gatwick’s plan be allowed to succeed, the complex tapestry of our natural environment will be further degraded by the increase of noise and air pollution.

What is Speldhurst Parish Council doing to address the issue and how can I help?

With approval from Full Council, the parish council's Air Traffic Committee has submitted a response to the Planning Inspectorate opposing Gatwick's plans on behalf of our parish (see the PDF document below). With this update, we invite you to do the same and help us make our voices heard. The deadline for responses has been extended until 11.59pm on 19th November; so, to help us protect our community please register and comment at:

Gatwick Airport Northern Runway | National Infrastructure Planning (planninginspectorate.gov.uk)

If you are unable to complete a registration form online and would like to register your interest, please call the helpline on: 0303 444 5000 to request a paper form.

Many thanks in advance for your invaluable support.