London Gatwick’s (LGW) planning application to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use has been accepted for detailed examination by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).
The airport submitted the planning application, known as the Development Consent Order (DCO) on 6 July. The document details its plans to optimise the use of existing infrastructure to increase capacity and improve airport resilience.
In accepting the application, the Planning Inspectorate has acknowledged that the airport’s consultations for this project were conducted properly and that the application can progress to the examination phase.
This phase will include a detailed examination of the proposals by a panel of independent experts.
Ahead of the examination, the public will be able to register with the Planning Inspectorate to become an ‘interested party’. This will enable them to participate and provide their views and feedback on the proposals.
This process is expected to take up to 18 months, with 6 months of examination.
“We are pleased that the application to take forward our Northern Runway plans has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate and will now progress to the examination stage of the DCO planning process.
“In coming weeks, the airport will let residents and other stakeholders know how they can register their interest in taking part in the examination stage of the planning process, so they can submit comments and feedback on our important proposals.”
London Gatwick’s Northern Runway is currently limited to acting as a taxiway and is only available as a runway when the Main Runway is out of use.
The Northern Runway Project thus aims to bring it into routine use alongside the Main Runway.
The airport’s application proposes repositioning the centre line of the Northern Runway to allow for dual runway operations in line with international safety standards. The Northern Runway would then be used solely for departing flights.
It is hoped that construction would start in 2025 and would be completed by the end of the decade. This would help the airport meet future passenger demand by serving around 75 million passengers a year.
