Transport Secretary signals support for Gatwick expansion

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced she is prepared to support expansion of Gatwick airport if the project is adjusted.

The Cabinet minister said the Planning Inspectorate recommended she approves an alternative development consent order (DCO) application for the West Sussex airport’s plan to bring its emergency runway into routine use.

The modifications relate to “controls on the operation of the scheme”, she added.

These relate to issues such as the proportion of passengers who travel to and from the airport by public transport, and noise mitigation.

The Planning Inspectorate rejected Gatwick’s initial DCO application, a Government source told the PA news agency.

It is the first time the body has recommended an alternative plan when assessing a project.

Gatwick has until April 24 to respond to the new proposals.

Ms Alexander is expected to make a final decision shortly after this, although her deadline for this has been extended to October 27.

The source said: “The Transport Secretary has set out a path to approving the expansion of Gatwick today following the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation to refuse the original application.

“This is an important step forward and demonstrates that this Government will stop at nothing to deliver economic growth and new infrastructure as part of our Plan for Change.

“Expansion will bring huge benefits for business and represents a victory for holidaymakers. We want to deliver this opportunity in line with our legal, environmental and climate obligations.

“We look forward to Gatwick’s response as they have indicated planes could take off from a new runway before the end of this Parliament.”

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate welcomed the announcement but added: “It is vital that any planning conditions attached to the final approval enable us to make a decision to invest £2.2 billion in this project and realise the full benefits of bringing the northern runway into routine use.”

The Planning Inspectorate said Gatwick’s initial plan would cause “moderate levels of harm” in areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, traffic and noise.

Its report stated that the “recommended DCO” would introduce “a wide range of detailed planning controls”, which would mean “the benefits of the proposed development would outweigh harm”.

A spokesperson for campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) said: “We welcome the extension by the secretary of state until October as she has obviously recognised the many holes in the Gatwick airport submissions during the planning hearings.

“Cagne do not believe Gatwick has been totally upfront with their submissions, and the planning hearings left so many questions unanswered.”

The group has expressed concerns over the impact of expansion on surface transport, noise, housing provision and wastewater treatment.

But the airport insists it has conducted “full and thorough assessments” of those issues.

Gatwick’s 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.

This would enable it to be used for around 100,000 more flights a year.

Gatwick’s 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”.

It hopes the upgraded runway will be operational by the end of the decade.

Gatwick says its plans would create £1 billion per year in economic benefits, and generate an additional 14,000 jobs.