By Sarah Young
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is inclined to approve the expansion of its second largest airport Gatwick, the government said on Thursday, over objections from environmentalists and during a push on infrastructure to drive economic growth.
However, transport minister Heidi Alexander said the deadline for a final decision was pushed back to October for consideration of public transport and noise level issues.
Alexander said in a statement she had issued a “minded to approve” letter for Gatwick’s plan to bring its back-up runway into full use to add millions of new passengers in the 2030s.
Some of the conditions attached to the Gatwick project needed further examination, she said, likely to be potential rules on the proportion of passengers arriving at the airport by public transport and the provision of insulation for homes in the area affected by higher noise levels.
Gatwick Airport, 30 miles south of London and owned by VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners, said it welcomed the pathway to approval, but warned of the impact of potentially burdensome conditions.
“It is vital that any planning conditions attached to the final approval enable us to make a decision to invest 2.2 billion pounds ($2.79 billion) in this project and realise the full benefits of bringing the Northern Runway into routine use,” it said.
ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIONS
The government has said that sustainable aviation fuel means airport enlargements do not derail net zero targets, and as such it has also backed a new runway at Gatwick’s bigger rival Heathrow.
Alexander will want to ensure the Gatwick expansion project is watertight as it could face a legal challenge once given a formal greenlight, given opposition from local communities and environmental groups.
“Pressing ahead with airport expansion in the hope that new technologies can magic away these emissions…is incredibly reckless,” said Friends of the Earth, calling the government’s support for Gatwick “bewildering”.
Gatwick’s plan is to move the back-up runway by 12 metres to meet safety standards for both runways to operate, which could be by the end of the decade, boosting trade and tourism and creating 14,000 jobs.
Alexander said the new deadline for a final decision on Gatwick was October 27. Luton, a smaller airport north of London, has also asked the government for permission to expand and a decision is due by April 3.
($1 = 0.7896 pounds)
($1 = 0.7893 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
