UK government approves second runway at Gatwick airport
Prime minister backs growth-creating projects in London area in spite of environmental objections
Plans to build a £2.2bn second runway at London’s Gatwick airport were given the green light by the government on Sunday evening, with ministers hoping that planes could be using the new facility by the end of the decade.
Heidi Alexander, transport secretary, approved the scheme with conditions on noise abatement and public transport to the UK’s second-largest airport. Labour officials claimed the move was “a no brainer”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told ministers to accelerate progress on big infrastructure projects as he seeks to show his government is serious about boosting growth.
Alexander’s allies said the transport secretary had moved as swiftly as possible to navigate “a needlessly complex planning system” to provide extra airport capacity for London and the South-east.
Last month, Heathrow airport unveiled plans for a £49bn expansion that included building a third runway and rerouting Britain’s busiest motorway, telling ministers they needed to “clear the way for take-off”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she hoped Heathrow would see “spades in the ground” before the next election, which must happen by 2029. But the Gatwick scheme is much more straightforward, with all of the major work taking place within the airport’s existing perimeter.
Attempts to kick-start airport expansion in the London area, on hold for decades, is one of the most visible signs of Starmer’s attempt to prove he is backing growth-creating projects in spite of environmental objections.
A planning bill to boost housing is going through parliament and Labour officials say Starmer will bring forward a second planning bill next year to speed up big infrastructure projects.
Government officials concede that if the Gatwick scheme is subject to a lengthy judicial review, a process that the second planning bill would aim to curtail, then the project could be delayed.
Airport officials believe a judicial review could add another 12-18 months on to the timeframe.
Alexander said in February she was “minded” to approve a second runway, but only if Gatwick agreed to change its plan by adding more stringent targets both for access to the site by public transport and for noise mitigation.
The £2.2bn Gatwick project, which will be funded by existing shareholders, would expand capacity by moving the emergency landing strip 12 metres to the north.
Relocating the strip — which doubles as a runway when the airport’s main runway is out of action — would put enough space between the reconfigured runways so that both could operate simultaneously.
The first flights could take off by the end of the decade, Gatwick has previously said, and an expanded airport would be able to handle up to 75mn passengers a year by the late 2030s, up from the record 46.5mn in 2019.
A government official said: “With capacity constraints holding back business, trade and tourism, this is a no-brainer for growth.
“This government has taken unprecedented steps to get this done, navigating a needlessly complex planning system, which our reforms will simplify in future.
“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate-change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”
Among the conditions for approval of the Gatwick second runway is a requirement for the operator to help affected householders, for example by providing triple glazing or paying for moving costs.
The Planning Inspectorate had recommended refusing Gatwick’s original proposal but, unusually, said it would approve the project should changes be made.
The agency, which handles decisions on land-use planning, had demanded in February that the airport adopt a legally binding target where 54 per cent of passengers arrive by public transport, compared to 47 per cent currently.