Today the Transport Secretary has confirmed that the Government is “minded to approve” the second runway application at Gatwick, subject to further information from Gatwick on a number of specific issues. Gatwick will have until 24th April to submit that information, and the Government will then have until 27th October 2025 to make a decision. Some of the main areas of concerns are:
1. Vehicle access and parking
2. Air noise limits and noise insulation schemes
3. Wastewater treatment
4. Joint Local Authorities’ proposals on environmentally managed growth
5. Good design
For further details on the recommendations, you can find the Examining Authority’s full 409-page report here: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/...
Gatwick supports the employment of tens of thousands of our residents, so I want the airport to do well. However, it’s also important that this is balanced with the needs of residents. My team have been speaking to local campaigners to understand what mitigating measures they would most like to see introduced if expansion is approved, and how we can work together to find solutions for residents who will be affected by flight path changes, increased capacity and construction disruption in the short to medium term.
I will be pushing for a number of measures including an increase in noise monitors across the constituency to gather accurate, reliable data on how flight paths are affecting residents, better noise mitigation for local residents who will be affected by any construction work and flights, improvements to the on-site sewage treatment works, better car parking on-site and better traffic monitoring.
A consultation on the airspace and flightpaths above Gatwick is expected to start in the next few months. When this is announced, I will share where you can contribute and keep you updated on its progress.
I want to hear your views so please share your thoughts on claire.coutinho.mp@parliament.uk and we will ensure that these are fed into our discussions with Gatwick in the months and years ahead.
-Claire
