Gatwick urges Starmer not to let second runway decision ‘stick’

Bosses at Gatwick have urged the Prime Minister to avoid delaying a decision on proposals for a new runway, Britain’s second-largest airport.

A delay in securing planning permission would push up the cost of the £2.2bn project, Gatwick said, while preventing airlines from adding new routes.

Gatwick, which attracted 41 million passengers by 2023, aims to lift annual capacity to 80 meters by converting a strip used only occasionally for flights into a full-fledged runway.

While Labor has made positive noises about its willingness to consider new runways since coming to power, a decision on Luton Airport’s plans to increase capacity from 18 million passengers a year to 32 million was delayed from October to January.

Tim Norwood, Gatwick’s head of planning, said a timely decision would send a message beyond aviation that Sir Keir Starmer was serious about bringing forward infrastructure projects to advance Labour’s growth agenda.

He said: “The Government has been very clear in saying it wants to speed up and reform the planning system.

“The way to do that is to get decisions out quickly and not leave them on the ministers’ desks. It would give confidence not only to Gatwick, but to other investors and infrastructure providers.

“We have a team already on the project and we are ready to go. Any delay in the decision will add extension costs and uncertainty.”

The Planning Inspectorate is expected to make a recommendation to the Department for Transport on Gatwick’s proposal next Wednesday.

The government then has three months to issue a final decision, meaning it should do so by the end of February, unless it finds a reason to delay.

Although the Planning Inspectorate’s views will not be made public, Gatwick’s application is believed to have a good chance of securing approval under rules that favor projects that aim to make the best use of existing assets.

Mr. Norwood, who said he would be “disappointed and surprised” if approval for the runway was not recommended by inspectors, insisted Gatwick has provided all necessary details, including information of the kind sought from Luton.