Gatwick Airport Development Consent Order

27 Feb

Written Statement

The written statement regarding the Gatwick Airport Development Consent Order (DCO) was presented in the House of Commons, detailing significant developments in the approval process for the northern runway development at Gatwick Airport. The Planning Act 2008 governs the procedure, and the statement provides a clear update on the current status and procedural changes concerning the DCO. The examining authority submitted their report on 27 November 2024, suggesting specific controls on the proposed development. Due to these recommendations and unreviewed provisions, a ‘minded to approve’ decision was issued. This indicates a preference towards approval but allows further deliberation and contributions from stakeholders before a final decision is rendered.

27 October 2025

New deadline for the final decision on the DCO after a nine-month extension.

First time recommendation of an alternative DCO

Significance of the report which led to the decision being mindful rather than absolute approval.

Outcome

The statement effectively extends the deadline for the final decision on the Gatwick Airport DCO to 27 October 2025, thereby providing additional time for comprehensive assessments and inputs from all relevant parties. This extension, totaling nine months, ensures that unexamined provisions within the earlier recommended DCO can undergo proper scrutiny.

Key Contributions

Unnamed SpeakerN/A

N/A

The written statement serves as a procedural update on the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Development Consent Order, mandated by the Planning Act 2008.

Original Transcript

The Secretary of State for Transport

Heidi Alexander

The examining authority’s report on the Gatwick airport development consent order application was received on 27 November 2024.

Under section 107(1) of the Planning Act 2008, a decision must be made within three months of receipt of the examining authority’s report unless the power under section 107(3) to extend the deadline is exercised and a statement is made to Parliament announcing the new deadline.

The current deadline for a decision is 27 February 2025. This statement confirms that today I have issued a “minded to approve” letter for the Gatwick airport northern runway development consent order under the Planning Act 2008.

Given that the examining authority’s report, for the first time, recommends an alternative DCO which includes a range of controls on the operation of the scheme and not all the provisions have been considered during the examination, I am issuing a minded to approve decision that provides some additional time to seek views from all parties on the provisions, prior to a final decision.

The deadline for the final decision is now extended to 27 October 2025—an extension of nine months. The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice to the decision on whether to give development consent for the above application.

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All content derived from official parliamentary records