Gatwick has been given conditional approval for massive expansion plans that will create a second runway and upgrade its terminals. The £2.2 billion project was given the nod by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander after seven years of consultation and planning.
She said the Government was “minded to approve” the proposal, although the deadline for a final decision has been extended by nine months to October 27. The long awaited announcement on the Development Consent Order (DCO) comes just a month after Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave her backing to a third runway at Heathrow.
Assuming final consent is given in October Gatwick will now start work next year on turning its existing Northern Runway - currently only used as a taxiway or when the main runway is out of action - into a fulltime airstrip, although it will only be used for take-offs.
The plans will allow Gatwick to almost double its capacity to around 75 million passengers by the late 2030s. In a speech to a gathering of aviation leaders earlier this week, Ms Alexander said she “believes in airport expansion” and is “not some sort of flight-shaming eco-warrior”.
In addition to making a decision on Gatwick, Ms Alexander also has a deadline of April 3 to determine whether Luton Airport’s expansion plan can go ahead. Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport is developing detailed plans for its third runway project. Gatwick’s £2.2 billion privately financed project would see it move the emergency runway 12 metres north, enabling it to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
The plan also involves remodelling and replacing existing taxiways – which connect runways to terminals, hangars and other facilities – extending both terminals, and installing new aircraft gates. The airport says its scheme is “shovel ready” and construction could start this year.
It hopes the upgraded runway will be operational by the end of the decade. Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “We can be a major part of the Government’s drive for growth. “We are already contributing over £5.5 billion to the UK economy and supporting over 76,000 jobs, but unless we can access greater airport capacity the UK will miss out on opportunities to enhance global connectivity and unlock further opportunities for trade, tourism and job creation.”.
Gatwick says its plans will create £1 billion per year in economic benefits, and generate an additional 14,000 jobs. Local campaigners opposed to Gatwick’s expansion have expressed concerns over the impact on surface transport, noise, housing provision and wastewater treatment.
