Turbo-charged Gatwick airport would bring Olympic-style boost to south London'
Bold plan: A new terminal and two new runways in a computer generated image of Gatwick
Expansion at Gatwick would create an economic boost to rival the
Olympic-inspired regeneration of London’s East End, the airport said
today.
A second runway which could be in operation by 2025 would lead to new
jobs and homes in the “Gatwick triangle” stretching from the airport to
the south coast towns of Southampton and Dover.
The bold vision
was outlined by renowned architect Sir Terry Farrell as he set out the
most detailed plans yet for the proposed £7 billion transformation of
Gatwick from budget airline specialist to premier league global airport.
The
Sussex airport is battling arch rival Heathrow for the right to build a
new runway to solve the South East’s chronic shortage of aviation space
with a recommendation to be made to ministers after the General
Election.
Sir Terry told the Standard: “A second runway will do
for south London what the Olympics and Stratford did for East London.
There will be better rail connectivity, a boost to employment and more
homes. A second runway also brings with it investment in hotels, cargo
holding and warehousing.
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New terminal: the two-runway Gatwick, would include an upgraded station/transport interchange and inter-terminal transport link |
“It will turbo charge that corridor all the way down to the south
coast and do a lot for the natural growth of London in a balanced way.“
Dismissing
Heathrow’s plans for a three-runway hub, Sir Terry added: “You have to
think about a whole panning strategy for the South East. We’ve in the
past talked about a constellation (of runways) but it’s really
integrated connectivity of rail, roads and airports.
“A metropolis
is different to smaller towns and cities like Frankfurt, Amsterdam or
Dubai. Places like New York, Tokyo don’t build single airports - they
build networks because they are regionally based. They’ve got to supply a
complete system and to spread around. “
He said Gatwick would be
balanced with the offer
from Heathrow, Stansted and Birmingham which
will be within 30 minutes from Old Oak Common when HS2 opens.
“It’s a question of how to make London work as the hub” he said.
The
public’s experience of Gatwick would be “transformed” as passengers
arrive and depart using a single transport gateway, linking rail, coach
and taxis and modeled on Seoul’s Inch-eon airport, also designed by Sir
Terry.
A new third terminal would be dedicated to the second runway and all three terminals would be linked by a rail shuttle.
Gatwick
says the airport would be much more compact than Heathrow and has
guaranteed it would take passengers no more than 45 minutes from arrival
at the hub to reach their plane.
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Transport hub: it is hoped the plans would result in natural growth for London and the south east |
Sir Terry, whose CV also includes the MI6 building and Charing Cross
station, said: “It will be a completely different kind of airport which
will be as good as the best in the world, it’s a transformation of the
airport with a new hub for road and rail with a shuttle which will link
the terminals in a way you can’t do as efficiently at Heathrow. It’s
going to be very compact and on the passenger side a totally new
airport.”
Unveiling its “Gatwick for growth” campaign at the Shard
today, chief executive Stewart Wingate said a second runway at Gatwick
would create an extra 170 million passenger journeys by 2050.
He
said short-haul direct flights would continue to account for two thirds
of the market and Gatwick was best positioned to supply this. Mr Wingate
insisted that the UK did not need Heathrow’s hub - which offers a wider
range of transfer destinations - because these could increasingly be
reached flying longer-range planes.
A second runway at Gatwick
would create 27 more destinations than expanding Heathrow. By 2030,
Airport charges - passed onto passengers in airfares - would rise to £12
to £15
at Gatwick and £35 at Heathrow, although analysts say a third
runway at Heathrow could make it cheaper and more attractive to budget
airlines.
Heathrow insists only a hub can serve the UK’s
long-term economic interests by connecting to emerging markets. Heathrow
also remains the preferred destination of the major airlines alliances.