Gatwick expansion: Campaign group holds rally against Northern Runway plans on eve of Government decision
A campaign group has held a rally against London Gatwick airport’s £2.2 billion Northern Runway plans.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to give the plans the go ahead in an announcement on Thursday, February 27.
Speaking at the annual dinner of trade body Airlines UK in London on Tuesday evening, Alexander said: “I have no intention of clipping anyone's wings. I am not some sort of flight-shaming eco warrior. I love flying – I always have. This Government believes in increasing airport capacity. We're ambitious for the sector. But these strict criteria must be met if we are to balance the needs of today with the necessities of tomorrow."
The plans, which will see 100,000 more flights at Gatwick, creating around 14,000 jobs and and inject £1 billion into the region's economy every year.
The plans have been opposed by campaign groups, including Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), who say they will launch legal challenges against the Government’s decision.
You can follow our live-blog on the announcement here.
And GACC held a peaceful protest today (Wednesday, February 26) on the eve of the Government’s decision. They gathered at Riverside Gardens in Horley, on the north eastern boundary of Gatwick Airport and already suffers the highest air pollution measured in the local area, to challenge the Gatwick decision.
We caught up with GACC vice-chair Jonathan Essex and Cllr Victoria Chester, whose Horley East & Salfords ward is next to the airport.
Cllr Chester was angered by the Transport Secretary’s comments: “I find it highly disrespectful that politicians of her supposed calibre use terms like eco-warrior to describe people who are basically trying to take into consideration work by the people in the Climate Change Committee and the concerns of local people is disingenuous and irresponsible. It’s stoking up that divisive approach people have which is green versus ecocomy, which is total nonsense. To talk about eco-warriors at a time when we should be focussing desperately on making things better here climate-wise, it’s just disgraceful.”
Mr Essex wanted to highlight the report the UK’s Independent Climate Change Committee produced on what the Government should do to reduce emissions down from the period 2038 to 2042. “That is exactly the period of time this new runway will be being developed,” said Mr Essex. “And what they said is they should push back aviation expansion and that there really is no need for any aviation capacity in the next decade.
"We should wait for these so-called sustainable aviation fuels to prove their worth.”
You can see full interviews with Mr Essex and Cllr Chester in the video above.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Our £2.2 billion privately financed Northern Runway plans could be operational by the turn of the decade and will support the Government’s growth agenda generating an additional £1 billion per year in economic benefits and creating 14,000 jobs.
“We understand the concerns of those opposed to expansion but support the Government in delivering its Jet Zero ambitions and firmly believe technological solutions are the best way to reduce carbon emissions – as set out in Sustainable Aviation’s Road Map – rather than limiting demand for travel.
“Noise and environmental impacts will be minimised through quieter aircraft, a noise cap and emission-reducing measures. London Gatwick’s plan supports the UK’s net-zero goals through the Jet Zero Strategy with London Gatwick committing to spend a £quarter of a billion to reach net zero for its own operations by 2030.
“Recent polling shows 80% of responding residents across the South East support the airport’s growth plans, while more than 100,000 businesses were represented in letters to government endorsing our plans.”