UK Approves Gatwick Second Runway; Legal Challenge Looms

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has approved Gatwick Airport’s privately financed £2.2 billion plan to move its northern (standby) runway 12 metres north so it can be used routinely for narrow‑body departures, a change the airport says would allow roughly 100,000 extra flights a year and could see the runway in use by 2029. Ministers and the Chancellor hailed the scheme as a jobs and growth booster, and Gatwick projects thousands of jobs and regional economic gains. Gatwick and the government have promised noise mitigation, home‑improvement compensation and targets to boost public‑transport use, though some of those targets are non‑binding. Environmentalists, the Green Party and climate campaigners condemned the decision as incompatible with the UK’s net‑zero commitments, while Mayor Sadiq Khan said the approval weakens the case for a third Heathrow runway and is reportedly considering a legal challenge. Housing Secretary Steve Reed has pledged reforms to speed major infrastructure projects and reduce planning delays. The decision has deepened a national debate over economic growth versus climate and local impacts and is likely to prompt legal battles and scrutiny of environmental consequences.