In a significant move, over 55,000 UK businesses, led by the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, have expressed their support for the Gatwick Airport’s Northern Runway Project. As the country bounces back from the pandemic’s challenges, the Northern Runway project promises over 10,000 jobs and an economic boost of over £1bn annually.
The support for the plans, which has seen a surge from 20,000 members in 2021, underscores the project’s national significance. Many businesses have thrived due to Gatwick’s connectivity and the economic opportunities it presents.
Brett North, Chair of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, emphasised Gatwick’s pivotal role in the South East economy and its potential for future growth. Other business leaders also lauded Gatwick’s commitment to sustainability and its potential to bolster the UK’s tourism sector.
We caught up with Brett to find out more about the letter and level of support for Gatwick Airport’s Runway plans.
How did this UK business collaboration come about?
You’re looking at 52 different business groups here, including the Gatwick Diamond Initiative. What we’re saying is those represent the interests of 55,000 business members, and they speak very frequently on other national and international topics with them.
So you’re looking at a fairly informed community. I think a lot of the work that Gatwick Airport has done in working with business groups, regionally and nationally, has helped inform the community.
You last joined forces with other business groups in 2021, but the number of businesses supporting the letter has leapt up to 55,000 this time. Why is that?
I think also what you’re saying is that when we last looked at it [in 2021], we had 20,000 business member groups represented. Now we’re looking at growth, I think, because of the importance of post-Brexit. We’re seeing companies being more international in where they’re looking. The Government is certainly leading forward with international trade agreements.
Things are moving quite quickly. The business community has had a hefty conversation with itself and said: “Look, we really like this.”
But let’s be clear. We’ve been asking questions too, and getting involved in the conversation with Gatwick, particularly around some of the environmental aspects, especially around what we see as the future.
And I think it’s more than just a billion pounds worth of economic interest and 10,000 plus jobs. We’re looking at 14,000 jobs in the region. And this has become more than just the Gatwick diamond as an economic region. It’s now become a national thing and how we can connect the UK through Gatwick as an international piece of infrastructure.
What would you say to businesses who are still wanting to have their say on this planning process?
I’d be encouraging all businesses right now to get onto the DCO process, to get involved and ask the questions they want to ask. Make sure they’re very clear on what’s happening.
This only works if it works for us. And part of that is having your say.
And I think it’s really, really important that you get onto the DCO [Development Consent Order] process, have your say: whether it’s as a business organisation, as an entity, whether it’s a business company, whether it’s the individual members of those business organisations or even individual members of staff, we should be encouraging everybody to get involved, get involved in this process.
That’s why the strategic planning process is there, to make sure that when we’re talking about major pieces of infrastructure, everybody gets a chance to have their say.
So, there’s more at stake than the region’s economy?
Yes, there’s a future at stake here. I think when we’re looking at major pieces of work like this, having an international airport, particularly with the Gatwick Diamond as part of an economic entity in its own right, it’s a 24 billion pound economic entity.
Having an international airport there working and providing connections for other parts of the UK, it’s about the other things that come with it, not just the jobs on the airport and the jobs, but it’s also about attracting businesses, about attracting other businesses to come in.
Getting involved with what’s happening in the region. And with that means we’re talking about jobs, we’re talking about careers, we’re talking about, we’ve already seen huge career prospects from people that have been working historically.
And we expect to see some of those careers will undoubtedly change and evolve, but we’re seeing career opportunities come forward and go forward. So it’s really an investment in what the future’s going to look like for the next generation coming through.
A Development Consent Order (DCO) process is a planning process for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) in the United Kingdom. It was introduced by the Planning Act 2008 to streamline the decision-making process for these types of projects and make it fairer and faster for communities and applicants alike.UK businesses can learn how to play their part in the Gatwick Northern Runway DCO process here: https://investgatwickdiamond.co.uk/gatwick-london-northern-runway