Gatwick sell-off will put pressure on Government to allow 2nd runway
or Stansted
runway, but have paid very little attention to Gatwick. They, along with most
of the aviation industry, have assumed that the only options for airport expansion
are new runways at Heathrow and Stansted.
with flight paths over sparsely populated countryside and the best road and rail
links, was not being considered to relieve airport congestion. The answer is that
BAA, which owns all three airports, has been content not to press for the expansion
of Gatwick while the Government supports new runways at Stansted and Heathrow.
company wants to get the best price that it can for Gatwick.
get anywhere near the £2 billion price is by talking up the development potential.
bottom of the garden, BAA has told bidders that a second runway could double the
airport’s capacity. It has sent them a confidential memorandum containing a map
and details of safeguarded land.
Government may find its aviation policy being overtaken by events. The cosy arrangement
between the Department for Transport (DfT) and BAA will be shattered next year
when Gatwick is sold and the commission begins the process of forcing the sale
of Stansted. It will be much harder for the DfT to dictate the location of development
when the three biggest London airports are owned by three different companies,
each wanting to take advantage of the projected doubling in passengers by 2030.
surveying Gatwick’s boundaries for weak points.
Crawley weighs job hopes from Gatwick expansion against destruction of homes
in their reaction to proposed 2nd runway. Crawley is the new town 2 miles south
of the runway, whose fortunes rise and fall those of the airport. The town is
home to 1 in 3 of the airport’s 25,000 staff, with low unemployment. Some residents
think the airport’s expansion could boost employment. It would mean demolishing
300 homes in Crawley, and 18 listed buildings. (Times)
Gatwick airport 2nd runway: Crawley residents ready to fight any expansion
plans for a 2nd runway. The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) said there
was too little land between Gatwick and Crawley to allow a new runway and terminal
to operate efficiently. Brendon Sewill, GACC chairman, said every local MP and
council is against it and the campaign against the runway will be every bit as
strong as the campaigns at Heathrow and Stansted. (Times)
Secret plans revealed for second Gatwick runway
plans secretly being developed by companies bidding to buy Britain’s second largest
airport. BAA has sent bidders a confidential memorandum with a section entitled
"Gatwick builds a second runway". The Competition Commission effectively endorsed
the idea yesterday. If Gatwick were to be expanded, up to 300 homes would have
to be demolished, and many more affected by noise. (Times)