Dismay as Gatwick Airport expansion gets ‘minded to approve’ nod from government

CPRE Sussex says taxpayers will be left footing the bill as second runway looking likely to get the green light.

Campaigners have described today’s decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport, subject to changes to some of the planning conditions, as bad economics and ‘totally incompatible with the single biggest threat to our countryside’ – the growing climate crisis.

Transport Secretary of State, Heidi Alexander, indicated in a Written Ministerial Statement on 27 February 2025 that she is ‘minded to approve’ the project, if changes are made to the ‘Development Control Order’ granting permission – with a final decision by October.

Arguments that airport expansion would boost the economy are flawed. A recent report by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) found expanding UK airports will not deliver serious economic growth.

A second runway at Gatwick Airport will put pressure on local housing affordability at a time when neighbouring Crawley has already declared a housing emergency.

CPRE Sussex Director, Paul Steedman, said: “The second runway is bad economics, bad for local people, bad for the countryside and disastrous for efforts to fight climate change. We are hugely disappointed that the evidence-based arguments against this expansion, and the concerns of residents, have been ignored. However, despite this setback, we will continue to fight for the health of the Sussex countryside and its residents.”

Gatwick Airport expansion makes achieving net zero targets almost impossible and taxpayers, farmers and homeowners will be left footing the bill for dealing with the impacts of climate breakdown.

A second runway will also lead to increased air and noise pollution, risking the health and wellbeing of residents and blighting the Sussex countryside.

Mr Steedman said: “This incomprehensible decision is a blow to anyone who wants to protect Sussex – and the wider world – from the misery of drought, flooding and extreme weather events. The Government’s own climate change committee has said there should be no net airport expansion in the UK.”