'This awful decision is a triumph for lobbying over logic' - Green MP slams 'reckless' plans for second runway at Gatwick

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander granted planning permission for the routine use of Gatwick’s Northern Runway on Sunday, September 21, following a six-month examination and years of consultation.

The project is expected to create 14,000 jobs and support an additional 100,000 flights annually by repositioning the Northern Runway 12 metres north to enable dual-runway operations.

The Northern Runway scheme is privately financed and will be delivered within the existing airport boundary, with Gatwick committing to environmental safeguards including stricter noise limits and a 54% sustainable transport mode share. The development is projected to increase passenger capacity to around 75 million by the late 2030s and contribute £1 billion annually to the regional economy.

But responding to the decision, Siân Berry Green MP for Brighton Pavilion said: “This awful decision is a triumph for lobbying over logic. Despite clear reasons to reject this proposal based on noise, climate change emissions and transport gridlock, the Transport Secretary has decided to side with Gatwick bosses and plough ahead with these reckless plans.

“The excuses found to blast loopholes through conditions on resident noise and traffic gridlock set out clearly by the Planning Inspectorate earlier this year make a mockery of every hard-working resident group, environmental organisation and local council that engaged in good faith with this process.

“Undercutting this nonsense, is this Government’s consistent failure to treat the climate emergency with any sense of urgency at all. Far more than extra flights from Gatwick for the richest, most frequent flyers, the public overwhelmingly wants action on climate change, and once again, this Labour Government is not just failing but doing active harm.”