Gatwick Airport has closed its public consultation that sought public views on the proposals to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside its main runway by summer 2029. The consultation ran for 12 weeks, from September 9, 2021, until December 1, 2021.
The proposed plan would require the runway’s centerline to be repositioned 12m further north, enabling dual runway operations with the airport’s main runway. These plans are forecast to generate approximately 18,400 additional jobs by 2038 along with an expected £1.5bn (US$1.99bn) gross value added (GVA) to the region.
Following the consultation, the company will go through the responses and make any necessary amendments to its proposals. It will then submit a formal application to the Planning Inspectorate as part of the development consent order process. Gatwick expects to submit its application toward the end of 2022 and, as part of the application, will produce a consultation report explaining the outcome of the public consultation.
Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said, “I would like to personally take this opportunity to extend thanks on behalf of everyone at Gatwick Airport to those who took time to share their thoughts and feedback as part of our public consultation. This feedback will now be analyzed and will help inform the development of our plans. We will also be carrying out further environmental and modeling assessments and continue to engage with statutory authorities and other local consultees.”