Gatwick expansion DCO inquiry begins – and will last for 6 months
The inquiry, by the Planning Inspectorate, into the DCO concerning Gatwick Airport’s plan to use its emergency runway for routine flights started with an open session, and many people – both in favour of the plan, and against, allowed a brief time to speak. All those in favour were businesses, or business groups – or people in some way linked to the airport, and hoping its expansion would be good for their business in the short to medium term, and perhaps provide more good jobs. Those against were local councils and local residents who – with passion – put forward the range of negative impacts that the expansion would bring. Those would include the climate impacts of thousands more tonnes of CO2 per year; surface transport impacts; air pollution; noise pollution, especially at night; and social impacts of the pressure on local infrastructure, from many more workers at the airport, and many more air passengers. The inquiry is being held in Crawley, and is due to last six months. The submissions gave the impression that the businesses only looked at possible economic benefits, giving no consideration to local residents, or the environment – in the short or long term.
.
Tweet
Gatwick Airport runway inquiry hears from businesses and locals
28.2.2024
By Bob Dale, BBC News, South East
The inquiry into Gatwick Airport’s plan to use its emergency runway for routine flights has heard from business groups in favour and local people opposed to the scheme.
Chambers of commerce from Sussex, Surrey and Kent argued it would bring hundreds of millions to the area’s economy.
Local people highlighted the disruption flights already bring to their lives.
The inquiry being held in Crawley is due to last six months.
Anna Christie, the chief executive of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce who was also speaking on behalf of the Surrey chamber, told the hearing “future development will continue to support growth and jobs”.
She said the chamber would act as a “critical friend” to the airport over its environmental impact.
Richard Lavender, from the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, also fully supported the expansion plan, saying it would “improve the resilience of air traffic in the South East” with “quieter, more efficient and greener aircraft”.
Gavin Stewart, the executive director of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said the extra passengers the expansion would bring could represent an extra £630m being spent by tourists.
And Charlie Cooper, the operations manager at a local building firm which is a contractor at Gatwick Airport, described the proposed growth as “simply a no-brainer, the benefits will outweigh the negatives”.
“These plans give us the confidence to invest and develop,” he said.
Local people say they fear noise and disruption will increase if the plan is allowed
Jane Shufflebotham, who lives near the airport, said she was “passionately and wholeheartedly against this plan”, which she said would be “profoundly damaging to the environment”.
She said: “It’s not just a bad idea, but an environmental catastrophe in the making… a decision based on pure greed.”
Another local resident, Patricia Routledge, said even now people living near Gatwick could not open their windows or enjoy their gardens in the summer.
“If Gatwick has its way, this hell will increase,” she told the hearing.
“No consideration is being given to those living beneath the flight path. It’s a cheap, inadequate fix for Gatwick.”
And Dr Roger Hood, who lives in the village of Capel, 5 miles (8km) west of the airport, questioned the economic need for its expansion.
“London already has five international airports,” he said.
Responding to the issues raised on Wednesday, John Rhodes from Gatwick Airport said: “Gatwick Airport really does take its environmental responsibilities very seriously.”
In terms of its ground operations he said the airport had put forward a carbon action plan which it was hoped would make the airport achieve net zero by 2030, a plan which would happen regardless of whether the northern runway wins approval.
He also assured those concerned with night flights that the new runway would not be used between 23:00 GMT and 06:00 except in emergencies.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-68424671
.
Planning Inspectorate website:
There is a transcript, and a YouTube recording, of the Gatwick DCO hearings on 28th Feb, looking at various issues for the airport. They are at onsenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR020
There are transcripts and recordings (YouTube) of the inquiry days at
https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR020005/documents
.
People can sign up for updates
Campaigners protest over Gatwick runway plans as crucial hearings get underway
MERIDIAN
Wednesday 28 February 2024
ITV News Meridian’s James Dunham reports on the demonstration
Gatwick’s bid to bring its emergency runway into regular use has been met with protest ahead of crucial hearings by the Government’s planning team to examine the details.
Protestors outside the Sandman Hotel in Crawley. Picture: Mark Dunford
The rally, involving community groups, residents and activists took place at a hotel in Crawley where the first public hearing is taking place.
The airport is looking for permission to move its emergency runway and bring it into regular use to create what it says would be tens of thousands of jobs each year and an extra £1 billion to the region.
Campaigners are desperate for the airport’s decade-long expansion plan to to be halted claiming that the plans will bring environmental destruction during a climate crisis.
Sally Pavey, chair of Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions, (CAGNE) the umbrella aviation community and environment group for Sussex, Surrey, and Kent said, “If this application to build a new runway is permitted, it will have a devastating impact on both people’s lives and the environment.
“That is why it is so important that CAGNE are here – not just today, but every day of the hearing, with our qualified team of Kings Council, plus surface transport, aviation noise and air quality expert team, as well as supporting NGO’s tackling the subject of Jet Zero and the environmental destruction of our planet.”
Chair of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) Peter Barclay said, “In the past twelve months the government’s own Climate Change Committee has said there should be no airport expansion.
“Temperatures are the highest ever recorded and weather patterns are becoming increasingly extreme – who could conceive allowing such a project to go ahead?”
GACC Vice Chairman, Jonathan Essex added, “The government should not permit Gatwick to compete with Heathrow to be the UK’s biggest climate polluter.
“Instead there should be a moratorium on airport expansion until a framework to limit demand for air travel is in place, as called for by the UK’s official climate change advisors.”
The examination phase of the application process is the furthest point Gatwick has reached so far.
Inspectors will spend six months scrutinising the proposals and will also visit the runway and terminal buildings.
Bosses at the airport will highlight Gatwick’s commitment to reach net zero by 2030 and initiatives to help cut carbon emissions.
This week, it was revealed the airport’s vehicle emissions have been cut by 90% because they’re now fuelled by recycled vegetable oil instead of diesel.
Steve Kelso, Head of Engineering, London Gatwick, said, “The implementation of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to power our 300 diesel vehicles is an exciting milestone for London Gatwick’s sustainability journey and a big step in our fleet transition.
“It is vital we invest in sustainably sourced HVO to reduce emissions in all areas as soon as possible on our journey to reach net zero for our own Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.
“From the buses that pick passengers up from the long-stay car parks, to operations vehicles that patrol the airfield, HVO is now being used to fuel vehicles throughout the airport.
“As we continue to grow, we are making sustainability part of everything we do here at London Gatwick and we are committed to finding solutions and working differently to meet our ambitious targets.”
Gatwick Airport says within ten years of the operation going live, there will be less noise at the airport than there was in 2019.
Once inspectors have made their recommendation to the Government the Secretary of State for Transport will then decide on whether to approve or refuse the runway application.
In an election year, the future of Gatwick Airport will likely be high up the campaign agenda.
.
Gatwick Airport runway planning inquiry begins
28.2.2024 (AOL)
A six-month inquiry into plans by Gatwick Airport to use its emergency runway for routine flights has begun.
The airport hopes to double capacity to 78 million passengers by making use of its existing northern runway.
It said plans would create 14,000 jobs and provide a £1bn economic boost – but campaigners have voiced opposition.
Before the inquiry in Crawley, 10 councils have also raised concerns that the proposals will not ensure noise and air quality levels are not exceeded.
In a joint statement on Monday, the authorities surrounding the airport added: “We also do not consider that the transport network has the capacity to meet the sustainable needs that will arise from the almost doubling of passengers using the airport.
“We have been working together to ensure that if the proposal were to be approved, the required controls, mitigations and where appropriate, compensations are put in place to limit the environmental impacts and to maximise the economic and community benefits.”
Councils and campaigners have raised concerns about the development
Gatwick’s chief executive, Stewart Wingate, previously told the BBC the existing main runway was routinely used for all landings and take-offs. He said the northern, or standby runway, which is also an emergency runway, was normally used as a taxiway.
“What we are proposing to do is to stop using that as a taxiway, and to start using that routinely to allow the take-off of the aircraft that routinely fly to and from Europe,” he said.
He said the runway would be used by “the sort of aircraft that EasyJet or Ryanair would fly”.
Countryside charity CPRE Sussex issued a statement expressing surprise that climate change was not among topics proposed for an issue-specific hearing during the inquiry. The charity has made a request for a hearing to look at the issue.
Ben Benatt, climate campaigner and specialist in biodiversity, said it was important climate change was taken “fully into account”.
“I would reach out to the people here as human beings and people with families and children,” he said.
“It is imperative this development does not go ahead.”
Sally Pavey, chairwoman of Cagne (Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions), said: “There are so many questions that need to be answered. Very little has changed since Gatwick was turned down in 2015 for a new runway and let’s be clear, this is a new runway.”
Campaigners from Cagne plan to be outside the inquiry as it enters its second day on Wednesday.
https://www.aol.com/gatwick-airport-runway-planning-inquiry-204121443.html
See earlier:
Changes to Gatwick DCO in November, since the original application
The planning changes at Gatwick, converting the emergency runway for routine take-offs, is an attempt to “sneak” a second runway through the back door. Critics argue that the timing of Gatwick Airport’s proposed changes to its expansion plans could result in people who have already commented on the plans mistakenly thinking their feedback still stands, even though the plans have now changed. Gatwick’s expansion plans, to take the airport the size of Heathrow currently, are being examined by PINS, the Planning Inspectorate. Their examination may conclude in June 2024. Local group, CAGNE, says there are now some changes to the Gatwick expansion plans that were not in the original consultation. They say there will be a large increase in lorry movements due to replacing an incinerator with a waste sorting plant, not included in the Development Consent Order, traffic modelling or air quality, an incinerator that at the time of obtaining planning permission was meant to heat the north terminal. PINS needs to decide if the changes can be made to the application and included in the examination. Comments for the examination need to be submitted by 21st January 2024.
Click here to view full story…
.
Gatwick submits plans for second runway to double passenger numbers
Gatwick has formally submitted plans for a £2.2bn second runway, as the airport looks to double its passenger numbers to 75 million a year. There are the usual claims of more jobs and “a £1bn annual boost to the region”, which ignores the impact of yet more holiday flights, taking money out of the region and reducing tourism spend in the UK. The additional flights would significantly worsen noise and air pollution, as well as carbon emissions, from the airport. The 30,000-page application for a Development Consent Order to convert its standby runway for routine use was lodged with the Planning Inspectorate on 6th. The process is expected to take about a year before it reaches the Transport Secretary for final approval. The project will convert the emergency runway by moving its centreline 12 metres north, allowing planes to take off while others come in to land on the existing runway. There are road changes with additional local road lanes and flyovers. Gatwick has hopes work will start in 2025 for the runway to be in use by 2030. The political decision may potentially be just before or after a general election in 2025. The extra million tonnes of CO2 per year are totally inappropriate, with worsening climate change and global heating already apparent.
Click here to view full story…
.
.
.