A second runway for Gatwick

After months of uncertainty the Government has ruled out building a second runway at Gatwick before 2019.

In his long-awaited White Paper on the future of air travel in the UK published in December 2003, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling agreed to honour a 30-year-old agreement with West Sussex County Council blocking any moves for a second runway.

But his decision has failed to ease the fears of many opponents who say the Government has left open the option of future development at the airport if plans to further expand Heathrow fail.

Industry experts predict air travel will soar over the next 20 years and business leaders in Sussex say Gatwick should be at the heart of that growth.

But residents and environmentalists have campaigned vehemently to ensure the plans never take off.

With campaigners predicting plans for a third runway at Heathrow are doomed to fail on environmental grounds, the debate in Sussex is set to continue and, for many, the real battle has only just begun.

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