Gatwick second runway approved: Friends of the Earth struggle to see how expansion is 'a wise move'
Friends of the Earth have said ‘it's a struggle to see how the government can conclude expansion at Gatwick is a wise move’ and the economic case for the second runway plans are ‘massively overstated’.
A decision on the privately-funded £2.2billion plans to bring the Northern Runway into more routine use was expected at the end of October but the Transport Secretary published a decision letter on Sunday, September 21, saying it was a ‘no brainer for economic growth’.
The project is projected to create approximately 14,000 new jobs and deliver an estimated £1 billion in additional economic activity annually for the region.
Responding to the news that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has given the go-ahead to Gatwick Airport’s second runway, Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, said: "With emissions from aviation rising as climate extremes increasingly batter the planet with more intense floods, droughts and wildfires, it's a struggle to see how the government can conclude expansion at Gatwick is a wise move.
"The Secretary of State says a second runway is a "no-brainer" for the economy, but the economic case for airport expansion is massively overstated. Any growth in air passengers leaving the country is likely to mean more UK tourists using their spending power overseas than anything we might gain from visitors.
"The UK's green sector was the fastest growing part of our economy last year. Common sense would see the government championing measures that will both improve our lives and protect the planet if it's serious about sustainable growth, such as upgrading the nation's public transport infrastructure. If we're to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today's decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow."