Gatwick airport expansion: people have till 29th October to register to be an “interested party”
Gatwick has now had its expansion plans – to convert its emergency runway into a full runway, for take-offs only – accepted by the Planning Inspectorate. This is part of the DCO process (Development Consent Order) as the Gatwick expansion is called as a project of national significance. So the plans will go into the examination process, by which organisations and members of the public can give their opinion on the plans. This means submitting evidence and applying to appear at the public hearings. The cut off date to register to be an “interested party” is Sunday, October 29th. That means people can give their opinion at a later date. People can register online. After October, 29 the Planning Inspectorate then has 6 months to carry out an examination. During this time registered commentators will be invited to give further details about why they have responded in the way they did. The inspectorate’s report will then be sent to the relevant Secretary of State, who will make the decision to grant or refuse development consent.
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Gatwick airport expansion: All you need to know now plans are up for debate
The planning inspectorate are asking for members of the public to tell them what they think of plans for a second working runway
By Victoria Ship (Surrey Live)
12.9.2023
The expansion of Gatwick Airport is moving forward, and you can now give your thoughts. Despite controversy throughout the years, plans for a second runway have now been accepted by the planning inspectorate for examination. This means that they are now looking for the opinions of those that will be affected.
The multi-billion pound plan will give Gatwick a working second runway, which the airport says will bring more passengers, planes and jobs to the area.
This does not mean that they will build a second runway from scratch. Gatwick already has a Northern runway, which is currently only used when the main runway is out of action or to taxi planes. These new plans would change this to mean that both would be in constant use.
Some building work is needed to get things off the ground.. Firstly, Gatwick will need to reposition the northern runway by moving its central line 12 metres north. On top of this the Airport will need to build new infrastructure to withstand the increased passenger numbers that more flights would bring. With all of these extra planes taking off the rebuilding effort will not stop at the runway.
Gatwick is hoping that the £ 2.2 billion investment will make room for an extra 100,000 flights an year. This would mean that the airport would be serving 75 million passengers by the end of the 2030s, a big difference from the nearly 33 million who pass through its doors annually at the moment.
These extra planes means Gatwick is also looking to expand its infrastructure. The Airport is also looking to build extensions to the north and south terminals, as well as a new hotel and office space. Gatwick has said that “most” of this construction will take place “within the current airport boundary.”
Who is against the plan?
Vocal opposition to the plans has already come from Surrey councils as well as environmental campaigners. Groups such as the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), Extinction Rebellion South East, The Green Party and Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Pollution (CAGNE) are all worried about the impact on the local area. They have already raised concerns during previous consultations but so far they have not been enough to stop the project.
The Green Party’s focus has been on the environmental impact, but they also claim the project will make local conditions worse. Councillor Jonathan Essex, Green Group leader on Surrey County Council said “Gatwick Airport’s expansion is not only unacceptable on climate grounds but it will also make noise, air pollution and traffic worse locally.
“Instead of falling for Gatwick’s inflated promises the Government should commit to creating the new jobs needed to deliver a zero carbon future across the surrounding area – a Green New Deal for Gatwick.” Similar complaints have been made by local activist groups which Surrey Live covered here.
Demonstrators gather together for a photo with placards, organised through GACC
How has Gatwick responded?
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s Chief Executive Officer previously said “The consultation and engagement activity over the past two years has been hugely valuable in shaping our plans 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.”
They also say they have made “significant commitments” to local bodies including “legally binding agreements to control noise and reduce carbon emissions”
The airport is also keen to highlight that they predict the expansion will create around 14,000 new jobs and inject £1 billion into the region’s economy every year. They also suggest that public support is on their side. A recent YouGov poll found that 78% of residents who expressed an opinion said they supported the plans.
What is happening now?
The planning inspectorate has accepted the plans for examination, meaning they are now looking for the public’s opinion. Those affected now have until Sunday, October 29, to register and say they are an interested party. Doing this means you will be allowed to give your opinion at a later date.
You can register online, and will need to give your full name, address, contact details and some comments about the project. In your response you should mention what you believe the main issues and impacts of the project are. They also suggest that you talk about the day-to-day impact of the changes.
After October, 29 the planning inspectorate then has 6 months to carry out an examination. During this time registered commentators will be invited to give further details about why they have responded in the way they did. The inspectorate’s report will then be sent to the relevant Secretary of State, who will make the decision to grant or refuse development consent.
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gatwick-airport-expansion-you-need-27700314
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See earlier:
Campaigners join forces to stop Gatwick expansion plans
Those against the second runway at Gatwick Airport are joining forces
Campaigners have joined forces against the proposed expansion of Gatwick Airport. They have raised concerns about noise pollution, infrastructure burden and congestion around the airport as well as its impact on the environment and climate change.
Gatwick Airport hopes to create a second runway and double its capacity to service 75 million passengers per year by 2038. Its plans include repositioning the northern runway, extensions to both the north and south terminal, new hotel and office space, new cars, highways improvement and reconfigured taxiways.
But Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), residents, Extinction Rebellion South East, The Green Party and Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Pollution are now working together to stop the expansion and “kickstart challenges to Gatwick’s proposals”.
Peter Barclay, chairman of Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), said: “With local residents from communities and regions around Gatwick we’ve got together to push forward a campaign to prevent these proposals. This planned expansion will affect not only local communities but the whole of South East England. GACC will spearhead the campaign to prevent the expansion, working closely with experts on the range of issues.
READ NEXT: Gatwick Airport expansion would benefit the wealthy – report claims
“The proposals have an effect not only on the local communities with noise pollution, infrastructure burden, and local road congestion but also on the world we live in.”
Gatwick’s plans have been released to the public ahead of a six month hearing later this year, and promise to bring “a more efficient and resilient operation” for customers and “would be one of the largest capital investment projects in the region for decades”.
It is thought the expansion could see Gatwick rival Heathrow, with the emergency runway becoming a fully operational second runway. Extinction Rebellion, believes that the expansion could emit 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year, with concerns of added traffic and noise pollution impacts.
Demonstrators gather together for a photo with placards. Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), residents, Extinction Rebellion South East, The Green Party and Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Pollution are now working together to stop the expansion.
Groups and individuals against the plans launched their campaign on August 7 at the Horley Riverside Garden Park. Reverend Helen Burnett, of Extinction Rebellion, described the event as a “gathering of all the interested parties who might want to oppose the planning application”. She added that the meeting gave an idea of the numbers and capacity of the groups, encouraged a conversation, and raised awareness locally that this is happening.
She said: “Ultimately, we want to stop the runway, and the reason for that is the fact that all the science is 100 per cent clear that we need to stop expanding fossil fuel infrastructure and extraction as of now if we’re going to have any hope at all of mitigating existing CO2 emissions. By doubling the number of flights at Gatwick and bringing it up to a level with Heathrow flies in direct opposition to all that we know we need to do in order to mitigate climate change effects here in the UK.
“And more importantly for me, climate justice worldwide because those flights will be taken by polluters, the people whose lifestyle most contributes to CO2 emissions but the impact at the sharp end of climate change will be on those in the poorest countries that never get on a plane in the first place.”
A London Gatwick spokesperson, previously said: “We recognise the climate emergency and the need for the whole aviation industry to act to reach net zero by 2050. To that end, we accelerated our plans to achieve net zero for airport emissions, Scope 1 and 2, by 2030 and will invest over £250million so that we achieve this 10 years ahead of our previous target.
“The government is also committed to work with airlines to ensure they meet a trajectory of reducing carbon emissions to get to net zero, 2050, through measures including airspace modernisation; sustainable aviation fuel, electric, hydrogen and hybrid aircraft and setting carbon budgets for airlines.
“Our plans would also benefit many communities across the South East by providing new economic and business opportunities as well as benefits for tourism and international trade.”
They added the Northern Runway plans would deliver 14,000 new UK-based jobs and inject £1billion into the economy of the South East every year.
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/campaigners-join-forces-stop-gatwick-27479637
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