Representation by Bronwen Jones
- Date submitted
- 28 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The proposal to bring the Northern Runway into routine use offers a sustainable, affordable, and practical solution to meet future demand for air travel to and from London by making better of what we already have. Expansion is key to creating additional peak capacity and improving resilience in the London system. It will create thousands of jobs, not just on the airport campus but right across our region. I have been fortunate to have a long, varied and fulfilling career in aviation and Gatwick’s expansion offers that same opportunity to hundreds of local young people who are currently in schools, colleges and universities developing the vital skills we will need in a rapidly evolving industry. In an increasingly global society, airport expansion will open up new routes, allow more frequent services to existing destinations and drive competitive prices for passengers wanting to visit family and friends, or just to see the world and experience different cultures. New routes and more frequent services also offer vital support to local businesses wanting to grow their international markets and an expanded airport will deliver a billion pounds of economic benefit into our regional economy each year. The project is a pragmatic concept that uses existing infrastructure as far as possible. Rather than expanding our airport campus, the scheme re-purposes and develops existing spaces and facilities to ensure that growth is accommodated almost entirely within the current boundary. It brings surface access benefits to the community with a reconfigured road network which separates airport and local traffic, as well as enhanced cycling and walking routes. The scheme provides additional and more diverse green planting and continues to improve the condition of local rivers and streams. A noise envelope sets limits on the noise from future operations and, alongside an enhanced noise insulation scheme, offers certainty to our neighbours that our noise footprint will be smaller in 2038 than it was in 2019. The Northern Runway scheme is a £2billion infrastructure investment in the long term future of our region; one which is affordable, deliverable and entirely privately financed. It delivers growth, jobs and long-term security for our industry, our local communities and our region.