Transport secretary “minded to approve” Gatwick expansion

Gatwick Airport has applied to bring its northern runway into full use; it is currently limited to acting as a taxiway or as back-up for when the main runway is out of use.

Its planning application proposes repositioning the centre line of the northern runway 12 metres north to allow dual runway operations, aligning with international safety standards.

Gatwick submitted its development consent order application to the Planning Inspectorate in July 2023, which in turn submitted its report to the secretary of state for transport on 27^th November 2024, who then had until today, 27^th February, to respond.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said today: “I have issued a ‘minded to approve’ letter for the Gatwick Airport northern runway development consent order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008. Given the examining authority’s report, for the first time, recommends an alternative DCO which includes a range of controls on the operation of the scheme and not all the provisions have been considered during the examination, I am issuing a minded to approve decision that provides some additional time to seek views from all parties on the provisions, prior to a final decision.”

The deadline for the final decision is now extended to 27^th October 2025 – an extension of nine months.

London Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “We welcome today’s announcement that the secretary of state for transport is minded to approve our northern runway plans and has outlined a clear pathway to full approval later in the year. 

“It is vital that any planning conditions attached to the final approval enable us to make a decision to invest £2.2bn in this project and realise the full benefits of bringing the northern runway into routine use. 

“We will of course engage fully in the extended process for a final decision.

“We stand ready to deliver this project which will create 14,000 jobs and generate £1bn a year in economic benefits. By increasing resilience and capacity we can support the UK’s position as a leader in global connectivity and deliver substantial trade and economic growth in the southeast and more broadly. We have also outlined to government how we plan to grow responsibly to meet increasing passenger demand, while minimising noise and environmental impacts.”

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