Gatwick expansion: vital for Croydon’s prosperity

Steve Reed MP recently contributed to a short collection of essays in the New Statesman about Gatwick expansion. He used the opportunity to say why Gatwick expansion is vital for Croydon. You can see the collection of essays here.  Steve’s contribution is below. 

London’s new runway should go where it will bring the greatest economic benefits and the lowest level of noise nuisance, and that means Gatwick. Croydon has an ambitious £5bn plan to reinvent itself as a modern European city on London’s southern edge. Proposals include a major new Westfield-Hammerson shopping centre, homes for 20,000 new residents, 23,000 new jobs, a new London tech hub and a revitalised leisure offer. The scheme has the potential to act as a major catalyst for growth across the south-east of England. Croydon is just 16 minutes by train from central London and 16 minutes from Gatwick. The airport’s expansion is vital to deliver Croydon’s Olympic-sized ambitions. That only 5 per cent of people would be adversely affected by increased noise pollution compared to Heathrow means that Gatwick offers a jaw-dropping economic case, and a more people-friendly case, that makes it the standout option for expansion.