Pinsent Masons
Robbie Owen
23 September 2025
The UK government’s decision to sanction airport expansion at Gatwick is the latest strong signal to investors that it is serious about supporting infrastructure development in the country, an expert in infrastructure policy and planning has said.
Robbie Owen, a planning law expert at Pinsent Masons, was commenting after Heidi Alexander, secretary of state for transport, granted development consent to Gatwick Airport Limited over planned works that would bring the existing northern runway at the airport into routine use. It is envisaged that up to 80 million passengers will be able to use Gatwick each year post-development, up from the current capacity of around 45 million.
The decision letter issued on behalf of the secretary of state contains details of how the secretary of state balanced various factors that weighed for and against the granting of consent for the project.
In relation to the “need case”, for example, the letter noted government forecasts that show “a significant increase in aviation demand in London up to 2050”. She considered that recent airport expansion elsewhere in the south of England, coupled with the prospective development of a third runway at Heathrow, does not override the need for the project at Gatwick...
Gatwick decision sends positive UK infrastructure signals - Pinset Masons - 23 Sept 2025
