Airport Expansion

Forecast Growth. Passenger numbers at Gatwick are now forecast to increase to 40 million by 2017. This is expected to be achieved on the existing runway by use of larger aircraft, and by filling up the so called 'quiet' times of day. GACC is concerned that this increase will worsen the already severe climate change damage.

BAA Master Plan. The BAA Interim Gatwick Airport Master Plan published in October 2006 showed that the airport planned to expand to handle 40 million passengers by 2015 (down from 42 million) within the present airport boundaries. Total noise is forecast not to get worse, but with no improvement.

The Interim Master Plan also included plans for a new runway south of the airport. It is confirmed that Government policy is for a new runway to be built at Stansted (completion now expected 2015/16), and a new runway at Heathrow, if pollution limits can be met. Only if they cannot be met at Heathrow, would a new runway be built at Gatwick.

GACC believes that these plans for airport expansion are absolutely contrary to the government's aim to tackle climate change, and will therefore never happen. GACC described the plan as a 'crazy runway'

The 2001 Legal Agreement. In February 2001 BAA signed a legal agreement with the local authorities around Gatwick for the period to 2008-9. Planning permission was in effect agreed for development within the airport boundary, subject to thirty six environmental safeguards. The most important safeguard was that the area covered by the 57 leq noise contour would be halved compared to 1996. GACC played a major role in initiating and facilitating the agreement.

Negotiations are in progress to extend the agreement to 2015. BAA has produced a list of ‘commitments’ as part of their Master Plan for the growth of Gatwick to 2015. Most of them are pure waffle - promises to produce an action plan, commitments to maintain dialogue, and such like.

GACC is seeking a legal agreement which will contain simple but precise obligations including: no increase in noise; no increase in local pollution; no worsening of the climate change damage caused by Gatwick; and at least 40 % of air passengers to use public transport.

That is the very minimum we would hope to see in the new agreement now being negotiated by the local councils – obviously we would prefer to achieve reduced noise, reduced pollution and reduced climate change impact – as one would expect with any other industry. And we would hope for a strong requirement to improve biodiversity.

Safeguarded Area. In the December 2003 White Paper the Government stated that all the land between the airport and Crawley should be safeguarded in case it is needed for a new runway. New houses or business premises would not be permitted. Crawley Borough Council is meekly including this safeguarded area in its Local Development Framework, while stating that they continue to be opposed to any new runway.

Blight. BAA is providing compensation for people living within the safeguarded area who wish to move but find it difficult to sell their houses. BAA is also providing compensation for those people who live within or very close to the new proposed airport boundary. There will, however, be no compensation for many years for the far greater number of people who live under the potential flight paths from the new runway, and whose houses are blighted. They will have to wait to claim under the Land Compensation Act one year after a new runway was opened, ie well after 2019. In practice there will probably be no compensation because we believe that a new runway will never be built. GACC estimates that over 7,600 houses are blighted by the runway threat but only about 280 are eligible for compensation.

BAA have also published proposals for noise insulation of schools and hospitals. The areas covered, however, are so small that no schools or hospitals will be eligible!