The government has delayed a decision on whether to bring a second runway at Gatwick into regular use. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the government was "minded to approve" plans but the deadline for a decision had now been pushed back until the end of October.
It is understood that the main stumbling blocks facing Gatwick's plans are related to the environment, specifically over noise prevention and public transport provision. The airport was yet to respond to the statement. The northern runway already exists at the airport parallel to the main one, but they cannot be used at the same time as they are too close.
Gatwick wants to move it 12 metres further away to solve this problem. It says being able to run both at the same time would allow around 100,000 more flights per year and create 14,000 jobs. Gatwick says the £2.2bn project would not need government money, would be 100% privately funded, and could be complete by the end of the decade.
The airport is already the second busiest in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe. Its northern runway is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut. Campaigners argue the additional traffic would be catastrophic for the environment and the local community in particular.
Today's update comes after the chancellor said last month the government also supported a third runway at Heathrow as part of its wider effort to bolster UK economic growth. However, the formal planning process is still to take place and the runway would be unlikely to open until the end of the decade, assuming any legal challenges were swiftly overcome.
Greenpeace UK's policy director, Doug Parr, said of the process ahead: "By approving Gatwick's expansion the government will hang a millstone the size of a 747 around the country's neck. "Such a decision would be one that smacks of desperation, completely ignoring the solid evidence that increasing air travel won't drive economic growth. The only thing it's set to boost is air pollution, noise, and climate emissions.".
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