Planes could soon fly lower in the sky for longer as they come in to land at Gatwick, sparking fears of air and noise pollution for residents.

The Civil Aviation Authority says newer planes can fly closer together than their predecessors so officials now want to scrap the "convoluted routes of yesteryear".

A “motorway in the sky” will be trialled for landing at Gatwick which will see planes begin their descent 13 miles earlier than currently.

It means there will be a stream of aircraft flying closer together and lower for longer, which has caused anger among people living in surrounding towns and villages.

Sally Pavey, chairwoman of the Cagne group, which campaigns about noise from Gatwick, told The Times: “This comes with no compensation, no consideration to the impact it will have on home life or house value.”

A consultation into the new route closes on March 24 and is available to view on the Airspace Change Organising Group website.

One campaigner told The Sun that he estimates the number of planes flying overhead will increase from every 20 minutes to one plane every 100 seconds.

The plans could see planes over Hever Castle in Kent, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, whose custodian Duncan Leslie has already moved out, partially due to the noise from aircraft.

It comes as a consultation into opening a second runway at Gatwick begins.

Airport bosses submitted plans in 2023 to bring its emergency north runway into full-time use, which would see an extra 100,000 planes land and take off each year.

A three-month "pre-examination" period began on Tuesday where an examining authority was appointed.

Information is now being gathered ahead of the six-month consultation.

READ MORE: Ten councils oppose Gatwick Airport's second runway plans

Work on the £2.2 billion project would begin next year and create an estimated 10,000 jobs if permission is granted, however ten councils surrounding the development site say plans are missing important details.

“We are concerned that the current proposals do not provide sufficient controls to ensure the planned development does not exceed air and ground noise and air quality levels,” said a spokesman on behalf of the council group."

There are also fears transport links could be strained.