Gatwick Airport's Northern Runway Project
The Public Inquiry for Gatwick Airport's Northern Runway Project has now closed
Gatwick Airport are proposing to use their standby runway, north of the existing main runway, to enable dual runway operations and to increase the overall capacity of the airport. The northern runway would be utilised by smaller aircraft for take-off whilst the main runway would continue to be used by larger aircraft for take-off, and by all aircraft for landing.
Viewing the application
The application documents can be viewed online
Our responses to the application
We have responded to the different stages of the process, including:
- Pre-application stage - we responded to the Preliminary Environmental Impact Report on 1 December 2021. See contents to view this.
Gatwick submitted their planning application to PINS 6 July 2023
- Acceptance stage - we submitted an Adequacy of Consultation (AoC) response over how Gatwick Airport had engaged with the affected local authorities up to the submission of their DCO application 21 July 2023. See contents to view this
Gatwick had their application approved to the next stage on 3 August 2023
The Examination opened 27 February 2024
- We worked with other local authorities (referred to as Joint Local Authorities and Legal Partnership Authorities in our submissions) affected by Gatwick's proposed NRP, and prepared joint responses on key issues as appropriate
- We responded jointly (as above) and individually to the 10 Deadlines set by the Examining Authority (ExA)
- Key submissions to the ExA which reflect our position on key issues relating to the proposed NRP include:
- Written Representation response - also see contents to view this
- Local Impact Report - also see contents to view this
- Statement of Common Ground - of which there were a number of versions. This link is the latest version
- Principal Areas of Disagreement Summary Statement - of which there were a number of versions. This link is the latest version
- Joint Local Authorities Closing Statement
All of the documents we submitted can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate webpage
The Examination closed 27 August 2024
Next steps
In terms of next steps, the Examining Authority is currently assessing the application and the responses to the Public Inquiry. They will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport in November.
The SoS will have three months to make a final decision on whether or not to approve the DCO for the NRP. It is anticipated this decision will be made at around February 2025.