County Council responds to Gatwick Airport expansion report

The 3,200 page report by London Gatwick explaining why in believes the Sussex airport should be chosen to have a second runway will be submitted to the Airports Commission tomorrow.

A spokesman said: “Last July West Sussex County Council decided to support in principle the expansion of Gatwick including a second runway, as we believe it will benefit the West Sussex economy.

“We remain aware of the environmental and infrastructure concerns that arise from an increase in airport capacity.

“In September the Council provided Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) and the Commission with a range of questions and issues about the proposals, that reflected the concerns of residents and councillors.

“Since then we have been examining and challenging GAL’s responses to these issues.

“We are still waiting for more information about the impacts on those most affected by expansion and the airport’s plans to deal with them.

“We have seen GAL’s latest long term forecasts. We will look further at the detail and what they mean for Gatwick’s surrounding environment and infrastructure.

“We have requested a meeting with GAL to discuss these issues as soon as possible and Stewart Wingate has personally agreed to attend this meeting.”