Gatwick Airport submits plans for second runway

Gatwick's northern runway (centre of photo) could be open by 2029, the airport says

Gatwick Airport has submitted an application to the planning inspectorate to bring its emergency runway into routine use.

The northern runway at the West Sussex airport is currently used as a taxiway or when the main runway is closed.

Local campaigners have called the plans "devastating", after concerns were previously raised over noise, congestion and air quality.

Gatwick said the plan would cost £2.2bn and help create about 14,000 new jobs.

If approved, the new runway would be used for departures only, Gatwick said, with construction starting in 2025 and the runway being in operational use by the end of the decade.

The airport said it would allow it to meet future demand by serving about 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

A spokesman said the added capacity at the airport would inject about £1bn into the region's economy every year by increasing tourism, trade and other business opportunities.

A decision on the planning application is expected by the end of 2024.

Opponents to the plans say increasing capacity at the airport will cause increased noise and pollution

Peter Barclay from Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign said: "We consider that Gatwick is busy enough. Carbon emission has to be our greatest concern.

"We have to think about the future for our children and our grandchildren and future generations.

"There will be an increase in noise, particularly in the first few years."

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said the plans had been developed "to ensure they best meet the needs and requirements of local people, as well as our airlines, passengers and other stakeholders.

"We are confident that our plans are both economically and environmentally robust," Mr Wingate said.

The airport said 3,000 of the new jobs would be created at the airport, with 2,000 more within the supply chain, including airport part manufacture and maintenance firms located elsewhere.

As part of the planning submission Gatwick said it had made some "legally binding commitments, to ensure it controls noise levels and reduces carbon emissions under the airport's direct control".

Gatwick says it is planning to serve about 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s

Those opposed to the plans have estimated there would be 100,000 extra flights a year when the new runway is in use.

Local campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions said the plans "do not take into account the devastating impact expansion at this airport for leisure travel would have on the planet and local communities".

A spokesman said: "There are so many reasons why a second runway should not go ahead but for local communities, especially in Sussex, they could find themselves under new flight paths.

Gatwick had previously been accused of creating a "a second runway by stealth".

Last month the Climate Change Committee described government efforts to scale up climate action as "worryingly slow", saying the it should be doing more to encourage us to fly less rather than relying on the development of sustainable fuels to reduce carbon emissions.

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