Gatwick Airport Second Runway Clears Final Legal Hurdle
Gatwick will go ahead with plans for a second runway after campaigners lost a bid to take their legal fight against the Government over expansion to the Court of Appeal. The £2.2 billion project marks the end of an eight-year legal process.
Court Rules Against Final Challenge
Gatwick will go ahead with plans for a second runway after campaigners lost a bid to take their legal fight against the Government over expansion to the Court of Appeal. Peter Barclay and campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) previously took legal action against the Department for Transport over the decision to approve the plans, including over claims that the Government did not properly assess the climate impact of the scheme.
The £2.2 billion expansion, approved by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in September, will see the West Sussex airport move its emergency runway 12 metres north to accommodate around 100,000 more flights a year. It will allow the site to be used for the departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s, with the first flights expected to take off from the new runway from 2030.
Economic and Tourism Benefits
The Northern Runway project will deliver significant business, tourism and trade benefits for the UK, including 14,000 new jobs, a £1bn boost to the economy every year and a comprehensive education, skills and business strategy designed to bring maximum benefits to local people and the Gatwick region. Gatwick is the UK's second busiest airport and one of the busiest single-runway airports in the world.
For expats and families based in southern England, this expansion means more flight options, increased competition among airlines which could lower fares, and improved transport connectivity to continental Europe. Those living near Gatwick should note that while the expansion brings economic opportunity, campaigners had raised concerns about climate impacts, noise, and how national aviation policy was applied, issues that will continue during the construction phase through 2030.
Sources
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