The government has approved Gatwick Airport’s plan to bring its northern runway into regular use, following a year-long examination under the Planning Act 2008.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander granted development consent on Sunday (21 September) for the £2.2bn project.
The works will realign the standby runway 12 metres north, allowing it to handle departing aircraft only. The main runway will continue to accommodate both arrivals and departures.
The scheme also includes a new pier, terminal and taxiway alterations, hotel and office buildings, additional car parking, surface access improvements and utilities infrastructure.
Construction will take place alongside the operational main runway and terminals, requiring phased works to maintain airport operations throughout the build.
Up to 3,200 workers will be on site at peak construction, according to Alexander’s decision letter.
The scheme’s panel of planning inspectors found this could place temporary pressure on housing in Crawley and nearby areas but concluded the impact would be limited and could be mitigated.
Alexander agreed and did not treat this as a reason for refusal.
The project is forecast to increase Gatwick’s annual passenger capacity from 46 million in 2019 to 75.6 million by 2038.
Although some objectors argued the scheme amounted to a new runway in breach of national policy, Alexander concluded that it involved reconfiguring existing infrastructure.
The project was therefore considered compliant with the government’s Making Best Use policy, which supports intensifying operations at existing runways but not building new ones.
The inspectors raised concerns around air quality, climate impact and traffic but recommended approval with additional safeguards.
These include enforceable obligations on public transport usage targets, highway mitigation and aircraft noise controls.
Alexander removed a fallback clause that would have allowed the northern runway to open before Gatwick had met its targets for public transport use and highway improvements, ruling that this would make legal enforcement uncertain and risk unmitigated impacts on local roads.
The secretary of state said the project would generate economic benefits, while giving limited weight to Gatwick’s wider role in addressing airport capacity needs.
