RPS Report Examines Gatwick and Heathrow Options

RPS has been advising Gatwick Airport Limited since 2013 on the environmental appraisal of its second runway project. The June 2016 RPS report on the environmental impacts of the Gatwick and Heathrow runways compares the environmental impacts of the Gatwick Second Runway and the Heathrow Northwest Runway options considered by the Airports Commission.

It highlights six areas including health impacts, nature conservation, air quality, noise, landscape and heritage where RPS believes the Commission underestimated the relative impact of the Heathrow option compared to Gatwick. David Cowan, RPS Managing Director – Planning and Environment says “It’s very clear that the Heathrow scheme has much bigger environmental impacts than Gatwick and if the Government chooses Heathrow we won’t know if it’s deliverable for some time. The Gatwick option does not have that problem and is the option that we know can deliver this much needed infrastructure.”

The report sets out in detail the environmental advantages of the Gatwick option.